By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

The North East Coalition for Truth, Justice and Responsible Leadership (NECTJRL) has strongly condemned what it described as a sponsored and proxy campaign against the appointment of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the North-East Zonal Campaign Coordinator for the Tinubu 2027 Campaign.

In a press statement issued from Maiduguri and signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Abba Chima, the coalition expressed concern over a recurring geopolitical puzzle where opposition to North-East political arrangements consistently originates from the Northwest.

Highlighting the pattern, the Coalition noted that an initial anti-Sheriff petition was last week championed by a grassroots movement rooted in Kebbi State and led by an individual linked to Katsina State. 

Now, mirroring that exact playbook, a so-called IDP group has surfaced speaking loudly from Kano State rather than from any community in Borno State or an established North-East enclave.

“Why must the welfare or political sentiment of the people of the North-East and the displaced Borno citizens be proxied, packaged, and broadcasted from commercial and political hubs in the Northwest?” the coalition queried.

The group maintained that true stakeholders of the North-East are based at home, witnessing firsthand the steady restoration of peace and heavy rebuilding strides spearheaded by Governor Babagana Zulum.

Shedding light on the claims made by the Kano-based group, NECTJRL stated that investigations established that there is no formal or officially registered IDP camp in Kano State.

The coalition challenged the group to clarify who they truly represent and where their members reside, noting that Governor Zulum has gone to extraordinary lengths beyond Borno’s borders to close camps and resettle displaced families back in their ancestral communities.

Defending Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s track record, the coalition pointed out that he has served Nigeria across two decades and has mentored a generation of politicians and public servants currently serving the North-East and the nation at large. 

According to the group, this record deserves honest engagement rather than masked and sponsored petitions.

The NECTJRL issued a stern warning to the sponsors behind the moves, stating that if the sponsored posturing is not stopped forthwith, the coalition will be forced to expose the true identities of those behind the plots.

The coalition urged the purported group to be transparent and redirect its energy toward the real, urgent needs of displaced people: resettlement with dignity.

“We call for truth; we call for restraint, and we call for a politics worthy of what our people have endured,” the statement concluded.