DAURA, (KATSINA) —The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate for the 2023 polls, Bola Tinubu has chosen Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
The former governor of Lagos State made the announcement in Daura, Katsina State, the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday.
Prior to the unveiling of Shettima, Alhaji Ibrahim Masari, a former National Welfare Secretary of the APC, had resigned as the party’s placeholder Vice Presidential candidate.
Masari’s resignation letter tendered to the party in the early hours of Sunday read partly: “This is to inform our esteemed party leaders under our able President Muhammadu Buhari, teeming party members and the great people of Nigeria, of the outcome of a crucial discussion I just had with the flag-bearer of our great party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Recall that I had the singular honour and privilege of being nominated as the running-mate to Asiwaju Tinubu last month after a keenly contested presidential primary ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“But, after much reflection and wider consultations, I now wish to step down. I realized that my decision will enable Asiwaju have more latitude to give more accommodation and inclusion that will position our party to win the coming elections, with the support of the people of Nigeria.”
Speaking on settling for Shettima, former Borno State governor, as running mate despite the heated aspersions over Muslim-Muslim and Christian-Christian ticket, Tinubu said the belief in prioritising leadership, competence, and the ability to work as a team over other considerations influenced his choice of running mate.
“I am mindful of the energetic discourse concerning the possible religion of my running mate. Just and noble people have talked to me about this. Some have counselled that I should select a Christian to please the Christian community. Other have said I should pick a Muslim to appeal to the Muslim community. Clearly, I cannot do both,” He said.
“Both sides of the debate have impressive reason and passionate arguments supporting their position. Both arguments are right in their own way. But neither is right in the way that Nigeria needs at the moment. As president, I hope to govern this nation toward uncommon progress. This will require innovation. It will require steps never before taken. It will also require decisions that are politically difficult and rare.
“If I am to be that type of President, I must begin by being that type of candidate. Let me make the bold and innovative decision not to win political points but to move the nation and our party’s campaign closer to the greatness that we were meant to achieve.
“Here is where politics ends, and true leadership must begin. Today, I announce my selection with pride because I have made it not based on religion or to please one community or the other. I made this choice because I believe this is the man who can help me bring the best governance to all Nigerians, period, regardless of their religious affiliation or considerations of ethnicity or region.”
He continued, “May I say this to all of you, especially to those who will be disappointed in my selection based on religious considerations. I will not and cannot ignore the religious concerns and ethnic sensitivities of our people.
“Taking them into due consideration is an important part of good and able governance. But religion, ethnicity and region cannot always and fully determine our path.
“To forge ahead as a nation toward development and prosperity, we must break free of old binds. We must recalibrate our political calculations to where competence and fairness matter more than reductive demographics.”
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