Foremost Presidential Candidate in the country and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has officially unveiled Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the upcoming 2023 presidential election.
Shettima, a former governor of Borno State and serving senator representing Borno North, was unveiled on Wednesday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
The event was attended by the party leadership including the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdulahi Adamu who led other party stalwarts to the historical event.
However, contrary to the rigid stance of the body of Christians; Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) against Muslim-Muslim ticket, the event was well attended by a coalition of bishops and pastors across the federation, all of whom had come to express their solidarity and support for Tinubu and his running mate.
Tinubu, while announcing Shettima in Daura, Katsina State, on July 10, had explained that he consulted widely before settling for Shettima.
He added further that all his life, decisions regarding the team around and supporting him had always been guided by the principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness, and adherence to excellence.
In his words, “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.”
“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.”
