HOW ZULUM IS TRYING TO ARM TWIST SHETTIMA IN SILENT WAR AND THE ROLE OF ALI SHERIFF

March 28, 2026 • Dons Eze • 2 min read

Borno state governor, Babagana Umara Zulum is reportedly determined to upend plot by vice president Kashim Shettima to determine his successor.

This clash of interest has resulted in a mild power tussle between the camp of the vice president and that of the governor and would likely become confrontational if the two camps fail to find a common ground.

He also declared publicly his unalloyed loyalty to vice president Kashim Shettima as well as how inclusive, fair and faithful his administration has been to the political leaders in the state, claiming that he has never betrayed any of them.

Sources claim that governor Zulum’s warning to the Borno state political leaders stems from move by vice president Kashim Shettima to singlehandly determine governor Zulum’s successor.
Reports suggest that governor Zulum though had publicly announced that he has no preferred candidate, has positioned the Commissioner of Education, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe as his successor and pressuring vice president Kashim Shettima who also has vested interest in the governorship seat, to accept his choice.

The speculation has it that former governor of Borno state, Ali Modu Sheriff and Abubakar Umara Zulum, a brother to the governor, are insisting that the governor must produce his successor in the manner Kashim Shettima did as well as Ali Sheriff, to maintain the succession pattern in the state.

Ali Modu Sheriff was the governor of Borno state from 2003 to 2011. And at the end of his tenure, Sherrif nominated Kashim Shettima as his successor and when Shettima’s tenure

While the governor’s decision is vastly seen as self-serving, he as well as the political elite of Borno state do not consider it as betrayal to vice president Kashim Shettima who is insisting that his preferred candidates, the Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari, or the Senator representing Borno Central, Kaka Shehu Lawan SAN takes over from governor Zulum.

Political commentators have suggested that vice president Kashim Shettima whose political future remains uncertain amid speculation of his being replaced by his principal, president Tinubu, is fighting war at two different fronts and will likely loss one or both.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.