Sheriff, a two-time governor of Borno State, said, however, that he did not meet with Jonathan over his defection to PDP, but on personal matter.

He said: “The President of Nigeria is the father of everybody. So, every Nigerian has the right, if he or she has the permit to see him, on matters that are either of private concern or anything that affects the nation.

“So, my coming to visit the President was purely on personal ground. I did not come to discuss PDP with Mr. President.

“Yes, there is this issue that I might join the PDP but that was not the discussion that brought me to the President.

“By the Grace of God, in Borno State, I have been made governor twice, which is the maximum any one can get in terms of the limits imposed by the constitution. I was elected into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria three times.

“This means that in every aspect of life, I am one of the stakeholders in Nigeria because if by the help of God, the people of Nigeria had placed me in that position at every time, my interest now should be on how to move the nation forward.

“Our interest should be on what makes that nation move forward. My decisions will be guided by the interest of the nation first.

“My thinking of moving to the PDP is also in the interest of the nation. We believe that every time, as a leader who leads people, you should advise them on the right course of action.”

Asked what his contributions towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency that started in his state, Sheriff replied that whatever information he had with benefit of his having governed the state, he forwarded such to the relevant security agencies.

According to him, “I am not a security man or personnel. Whatever that, as a civilian, I can do, using my position as the chief executive of the state for eight years, what I have seen during my tenure I will contribute to the security agencies through whom I got the information.

“What you have to understand is that this country is a big country and Borno State is a difficult state from any other state in Nigeria.

“Borno has the biggest land mass bordering Niger, Chad and Cameroon. It is an open border. Borno is not like the Republic of Benin with only one entrance into Nigeria.

“In Borno, you can enter from 20 different points into the country. Therefore, you need a perfect understanding of the terrain.

“You need every knowledge that any politician has, particularly any politician that operated in Borno State. That is all we can contribute for now.”