DIPLOMATIC DIARY reports that Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC on Sunday in Daura, Katsina State, announced Shettima as his running mate.
While the choice of Shettima has raised a number of issues, especially the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket, also some Progressives governors from the North-West have reportedly expressed displeasure over Tinubu’s choice of a running mate from the North-East.
However, about nine governors of the APC on Monday held a one-hour closed-door meeting with the President Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in his Daura private residence at the end of which they declared their support for Senator K Shettima as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Tinubu.
The Governors also said they had confidence in the combination of Tinubu and Shettima to ensure victory for the party at the presidential election.
The governors led by the Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, include, Aminu Masari (Katsina); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Abubakar Bello (Niger); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Hope Uzodimma (Imo); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Simon Lalong (Plateau); and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna).
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Abubakar Bagudu, said, “We were pleasantly surprised when Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu announced in Daura on Sunday that Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima was the Vice Presidential candidate.
“We were happy that it is no less a person than Senator Shettima who was announced the Vice Presidential candidate. No doubt, Senator Shettima would complement the good qualities of Asiwaju Tinubu. We are very very happy at the choice. The two will complement each other and will surely consolidate on the achievements of the President in the past seven years .”
Bagudu added that their visit to Daura was to felicitate the President over Sallah.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, also said Shettima’s choice as the vice presidential candidate was a collective decision by all the Progressives Governors, adding that the governors would work hard to ensure victory for the APC in the 2023 elections.
He said, “The choice of Senator Shettima as the vice presidential candidate is a collective decision. We shall work hard to ensure victory in all our states.”
On his part, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, said while the choice of the vice presidential candidate was the prerogative of the presidential candidate, all the APC governors would work to ensure the party’s victory at the 2023 general election.
“A presidential candidate has the prerogative of picking his Vice. But ours is to ensure the party’s victory in the presidential election”, he said.
