PDP says Shettima behind Atiku’s defeat in Borno

The PDP in Borno State has blamed the alleged antics of Governor Kashim Shettima for what the party described as embarrassing votes recorded by PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who despite being a citizen of the North East – with in-laws in Borno State, allegedly scored less than 10 per cent.

Results being collated from the 27 local government areas in Borno ahead of official declaration showed Atiku got less than 10 per cent.

Factional chairman of the PDP, Usman Badeiri, who made the allegation in a chat with journalists in Abuja, said the PDP had its worst presidential results under Governor Shettima.

He cited that from 1999, PDP’s candidates consistently scored between 30 to 40 per cent votes in presidential elections except in the 2015 and 2019 elections with Shettima as governor.

“You must have seen the results being collated from all the 27 local government areas in Borno. How can former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is a son of the North East, someone who got married from Borno and whose son also married from Borno fail to score 10 percent on Saturday,” he asked.

“Between 1999 and 2003 when the late Mala Kachalla was governor, the PDP’s candidate, Olusegun Obasanjo, scored between 30 to 50 percent in both presidential elections.

“In 2007 and 2011 when Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was governor at the time of both elections, PDP’s candidates Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan got 30 to 40 per cent. Imagine Jonathan that is from the Niger Delta.

“However, in 2015 and 2019 (Kashim Shettima’s era) during both elections, PDP’s candidates Goodluck Jonathan and now Atiku Abubakar both scored embarrassing votes. In 2015, Jonathan got 6 percent of the votes cast.

“Now Atiku is also getting less than 10 percent. Was it not the same Buhari that contested in 2003 and 2007 under Governor Sheriff and the PDP scored 30 to 40 percent? Why is it that it is only under Kashim Shettima that Buhari is getting more than 90 percent of the votes in Borno State? Something is fishy.

“We believe Kashim Shettima is doing everything to make Borno a one party state and this is not good for democracy. He has been undermining PDP’s chances since 2015. The PDP in Borno State has been more divided under Kashim Shettima than under any governor from 1999”, Badeiri said.