There is another Sheriff in town

Ali Modu Sheriff

Shortly after Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as President, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, wrote a beautiful piece titled, “A new sheriff is in town.”

The article showcased Buhari’s qualities as a no-nonsense leader who would not tolerate the excesses and executive lawlessness that characterized the PDP years. The essay even credited Buhari with some mindboggling achievements such as fixing the power sector without lifting a finger – only his body language brought positive change. Today we know better.

Well, the PDP also has a new sheriff. He is Ali Monu Sheriff, who emerged as the new chairman of the party under very controversial circumstances. Unlike Buhari, this Sheriff is not widely accepted, even by his party members. In fact a lot of PDP members have asked him to resign. And some have even threatened to walk out of the party if Sheriff doesn’t leave.

The PDP’s ability to shoot itself in the foot knows no bounds. The party has refused to learn any lesson after throwing away the 2015 elections to the APC. They lost because of gross acts of impunity, which made a lot of its influential members – including former chairmen – jump ship in disgust.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo even tore his PDP membership card in a public display of disapproval over the way the party was being run.

Though the PDP is telling the world that it is now born again and has embraced democratic ethos, it is still practicing its impunity with wanton abandon. The more things change, the more things remain the same.

Insiders said some governors colluded to install Sheriff as national chairman, imposing it on the national caucus, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and even the Board of Trustees (BoT).

The governors, who have always been all-powerful, kept arm-twisting former President, Goodluck Jonathan’s hands till he caved in to their sometimes-excessive demands. The same governors who once proved that 16 is more than 19. They have had their way since the days of Obasanjo’s administration. Now they may just have finally hit the last nail on PDP’s coffin.

Why on earth would the party, founded by the likes of Alex Ekwueme, now settle for Ali Modu Sheriff? Was this to prop up a Northerner to counter Buhari’s popularity in that part of the country? If that is the case I am sure there are many other credible candidates the party could have come out with. Candidates that would have been accepted by most, if not everyone. But the PDP has to remain true to its colour. The leopard, after all, cannot change its spots.

Following Sheriff’s appointment at least 20 senators have indicated they would leave the PDP if Sheriff continues in office, according to The Nigerian Tribune.

It was also rumoured that over 50 members of the House of Representatives are ready pitch their tent with the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Labour Party (LP).

Dr. Doyin Okupe, President Jonathan’s former aide, has also kicked against Sheriff’s appointment.

“The capability of our party… and its leadership to make grave errors of judgment is legendary. What is intriguing is that even out of power that tendency seems unabating,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“Alhaji Ali Sheriff is a longstanding political associate of mine and a very adroit and astute politician of perhaps a sublime class. But for the post of the National Chairman of the PDP, he is a wrong candidate and also coming in at a wrong time.”

Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, made more damaging allegations, accusing Sheriff of being the founder of Boko Haram.

Sheriff insists that he knows nothing about Boko Haram, revealing that the sect killed his brother. Maybe that is a classic case of someone riding the tiger and ending up in its stomach.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has also waded into the fray. Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, disclosed that it is still investigating Sheriff for mismanaging a sum of N300bn during his tenure as governor.

Sheriff, a founding member of the APC and a former governor of Borno State, defected to the PDP in 2014 after he was accused of being a sponsor to the Islamic sect Boko Haram by an Australian hostage negotiator Steven Davies.

That allegation, though unproven, has refused to go away. And that is a major reason why Sheriff should not even be considered to head a political party, especially one that is struggling to survive.

The PDP needs everyone to pull in the same direction, if the party is to get out of this rut. Instead there is a cacophony of voices, each trying to scream louder than the other. And the chasm gets wider and deeper.

Instead of trying to heal wounds and restore sanity, this Sheriff is talking tough. He has vowed to deal with the likes of Fani-Kayode. These are distractions the party does not need at this time.

If this is the Sheriff the PDP wants to use to dislodge the APC’s sheriff, then it has another think coming.