SHETTIMA REVEALS LIMITED NORTHERN GOVERNORS’ SUPPORT FOR TINUBU IN 2023

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said that only six of the 19 northern governors supported President Bola Tinubu’s presidential bid during the 2023 election. Shettima made the disclosure on Wednesday at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of the Ilorin Emirate.

Reflecting on Tinubu’s campaign for the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket and the 2023 election, Shettima said the President faced opposition from several political figures in the North. He specifically identified former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq among those who supported Tinubu, while declining to name the other governors.

The Vice-President said the limited support from northern governors did not stop Tinubu from pursuing his presidential ambition. He recalled that Tinubu eventually secured the APC ticket and went on to win the 2023 presidential election, defeating his major challengers from the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party.

Shettima also used the occasion to call for reconciliation among politicians after elections and party primaries. He said political disagreements should not permanently damage relationships, pointing to Tinubu’s relationship with northern governors who did not support his candidacy in 2023 as an example of political reconciliation.

The Vice-President further urged political leaders to approach public office with humility, saying political positions were temporary. He also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, arguing that the government chose to address the economic difficulties it inherited rather than concentrate on assigning blame for the country’s challenges.