]Factional National Chairman of the People’s D e m o c r a t i c Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff yesterday said the victory against Boko Haram by men of the Nigerian Army has clearly vindicated him from widespread allegation that he was the major financier to the insurgents.

Sheriff, who disclosed this in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, while addressing a mammoth crowd of party supporters during a familiarisation visit to the state, said he was wrongly accused of being the financier of Boko Haram insurgents.

The former governor of Borno State said Borno State was worse hit by the activities of the terrorists among other states in the North East, which had become hotbed of the insurgents, where scores of people had been killed.

He lamented that he was also a victim of the crisis as he lost his step mother, cousin and candidate in one of the attacks, even as he commended the Nigerian Army for winning the war against terrorists in the country.

“Borno State suffered a lot due to the activities of Boko Haram and I want to use this opportunity to thank the Nigerian Army for the defeat and add that I was one of the victims of the insurgency because I lost my step mother, cousin and a candidate of my party to Boko Haram.” Sherrif said.

According to him, he was in Benue State as part of the fulfillment of his promise to the people of the state during their visit to him in Abuja.

While stressing that for the party to attain enviable heights, he noted that power must return to the grassroots, whom he said are the real owners of the party.

Sheriff, who said he was poised to rid the party of impunity and woo more supporters to its fold, explained that PDP lost woefully in the last general elections due to the greed of some ex- governors, even as he said that there would be no impunity again as long as he remained the national leader of the party.

He carpeted former Minister of Communication, Prof. Jerry Gana for saying 90 per cent of the party is with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi- led faction, saying the other faction is peopled with individuals, who only rant on the television and who have lost value in the communities.

The national factional leader of the party in the state, Senator Joseph Akaagerger described the visit of Senator Sheriff as significant, and lauded the synergy between Benue and Borno States.

He, however, assured his supporters that all necessary machinery had been put in place for the victory of the party in 2019 general elections.

Newstelegraphonline