Kashim Shettima, former Borno governor, has said his nomination as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate proves Nigerians are ready to choose competence over primordial sentiments.
He said this on Wednesday during his unveiling as the running mate of Bola Tinubu, APC presidential candidate.
The event was held on Wednesday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua centre in Abuja.
Tinubu, a Muslim from the south-west, had, on July 10, announced Shettima, a Muslim from the north-east, as his running mate.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket elicited criticism from many citizens.
However, the former Borno governor said his becoming the APC vice-presidential candidate is based on democratic values.
“The goodwill messages that have poured in, since the announcement of my selection as running mate to the high-performing Jagaban Borgu, easily underscore the depth of hope that our people are investing in the ticket,” he said.
“And I do not doubt that the amplitude of this love across the country, from Abia through to Zamfara, is an assurance that Nigerians are again prepared to choose the competence of their unifying representatives, over any expression of primordial sentiments.
“My emergence as the running mate of the inimitable Jagaban Borgu is based on the party’s very forthright assessment of the threats ahead, and I’m most honoured by the consensus of the distinguished stakeholders of our party to trust me with representing the nation’s interests, under the leadership of the very sage, the youths all over our country, fondly refer to as ‘city boy’, in honour of his cosmopolitan profile.
“Our public-spirited progressive governors have also demonstrated why they are the backbone of the party. There can’t be enough words to quantify their sacrifices. We acknowledge the fact that they are responsible for this spectacular structure that offers us a palpable electoral advantage over our opponents.
“Whatever supremacy we attribute to the APC is owed to the commitment of our progressive governors.
“Like most of us, they submitted to the supreme interests of the party to guarantee our success in the forthcoming elections, and the immensity of these sacrifices calibrates their wisdom and sensitivity, to the myriad of opponents we are going to face in 2023.
“I’m here today, because of their wisdom, and I’m therefore grateful for their perception of the task ahead, as one that can only be executed through meticulous collaboration, across the board.”
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