There is a palpable disquiet in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the ruling party has announced the postponement of the unveiling of Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate of its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The party was silent on the reason for the postponement of the event scheduled for Thursday, though there are speculations it would now hold next week, as the rash of criticisms continue over the preference of a Muslim-Muslim candidacy in a country almost evenly distributed along the claimants of the Christian and Muslim faiths.
Prominent northern Christians have also gone public to berate the party’s presidential candidate for suggesting that there was no competent Christian candidate from the North to be his running mate.
Tinubu, on a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari last Sunday in Katsina, announced Shettima, the former Borno State Governor as his running mate.
Since the announcement, the party and some of its members have strenuously tried to justify his choice, while opponents remain adamant. A few in the party have even resigned their membership of the ruling party.
Justifying his choice, Tinubu issued a statement, on same Sunday, which reads in full:
1.Fellow Nigerians, we enter a moment of renewed hope. We hold the chance to move the nation and our collective cause forward as never before. Let us seize this moment so that history may write kindly of us.
2.It is time to focus with utmost devotion and love of country to do all we can do to advance the ideals of democratic and progressive good governance in the land.
3.We must end poverty and bring greater prosperity and more lasting peace. Let us be wise of thought yet courageous in action, as we embark on a collective enterprise that brings jobs, education, food, medicine, hope and belief in a better life to those who need them.
4.I stand ready to begin this journey with you, hopefully, to lead the nation on this needed path as your next President by the grace of God. I believe this is a pivotal moment at which the dynamics of history and destiny call us forth to reshape our beloved nation. This is our moment.
5.We all must answer the nation’s call. For some, this requires of us that we step forward, assuming new roles and responsibilities. For others, it may mean something else. For all of us, it requires that we dedicate ourselves to the collective national task as never before.
6.To re-envision and reshape the nation, I must compose the best team possible, a team put together with but one overriding purpose: to forever establish just, capable, and compassionate governance for the people of Nigeria without regard to religion, region, or ethnic origin.
7.In the weeks since becoming the presidential candidate and standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have been touched as Nigerians from all walks of life have demonstrated their faith in my capacity to lead this country. I thank you for the outpourings of support for they reveal to me the hope you hold for this nation’s greatness. As long as we walk together and work together, we shall arrive at our national greatness together. To this glad and great endeavour, I fully devote myself and my future labour.
8.In full compliance with existing law and regulation, I submitted all necessary documents regarding my nomination as the APC presidential candidate to INEC. But, as was expected, the choice of my vice presidential running mate remained an open and burning question.
9.This gave rise to much speculation and debate.
10.Recent events [the voluntary withdrawal of my dear friend and brother Ibrahim Masari] mean that I am called upon, today, to put an end to the speculation.
11.I have never been an indecisive man and have no present intention to become one.
12.What I am, however, is a democrat. And a democrat must listen to, and consult with, the people and his advisors so that he may reform and govern wisely and on their behalf. This I have done. My political career was not built on blind indifference to the views of others. I appreciate the perspectives of leading members of the party, political allies and key national figures who see Nigeria’s future as I do. They gave me their views so that I might add their valuable insights to mine to reach the best decision possible and do so in a manner that strengthens the institutional fabric of our party as well as accelerating the evolution of our political democracy.
13.I am also a founding member of the APC. I hold our party’s core principles close to heart such that I shall do nothing to betray the spirit in which the party was created.
14.Having now listened to the sage, careful advice of a broad section of the party and of the nation, there are a few points I feel I must make about the exceptional and extraordinary person with whom I will share the APC ticket and the principles of open and good governance that informed this choice.
15.A dominant theme of my political history and my personal life is my staunch belief in our diversity. Greatness lies in embracing our diversity and making it work to enhance the dynamism and justice of our political system. My selection of a running mate comports entirely with this longstanding inclination.
16.The concurrence of my party in this matter has been a source of comfort and encouragement. We are truly building a progressive party that not only represents a departure from other political parties but one that truly may well be the best hope for democratic good governance in Nigeria.
17.I realize the momentous times we have entered. I know what lies in the balance. I also know that our political choices and activities send both intended and unintended signals to portions of the Nigerian electorate.
18.All my life, my decisions regarding the team around and supporting me have always been guided by the principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness, and adherence to excellence.
19.When I was Governor of Lagos State, these principles helped me assemble one of the most capable governing cabinets any state or this nation has ever seen. I trust enough in these principles to allow them to, once more, guide me to construct another exemplary team that can do Nigeria proud.
20.Second, this chapter in our country’s history demands a bold yet pragmatic approach, a path already chartered by the progressive ethos of the APC. The foundation for sustainable progress has been laid these past seven years by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. The challenges of today are consequential because the lives and livelihoods of millions of Nigerians lie in the balance. Visionary and creative leadership will take us to our goal.
21.Our focus, therefore, must be on getting the job done; and that means getting the very best and competent people to do it. In this crucial moment, where so much is at stake, we must prioritize leadership, competence, and the ability to work as a team over other considerations.
22.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.
23.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.
24.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.
25.Here is where politics ends, and true leadership must begin.
26.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.
27.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.
28.This is why, today, I announce the selection of SENATOR KASHIM SHETTIMA as my partner and running mate in the mission to advance and reclaim the fortunes of this great country and the hopes of its people.
29.Senator Kasim Shettima’s career in politics and beyond shows that he is eminently qualified not only to deliver that all important electoral victory, but, also, step into the shoes of the Vice President. As a man with the talent, maturity, strength of character, and patriotism he has my implicit confidence and faith.
30.I am aware that many will continue focus on a particular detail, the question of his faith.
31.However, if we truly understand the challenges upon us a nation, then we must also see the imperative of placing competence in governance above religious sentiment.
32.In 1993, Nigerians embrace Chief MKO Abiola and a fellow Muslim running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe in one of our fairest elections ever held.
33.The spirit of 1993 is upon us again in 2023.
34.As such, the ticket we present today represents a milestone in our political history. It symbolizes our party’s determination to be a leading light among political parties in Africa.
35.The democratic process and the decorum that characterised our presidential primaries and the selection of our vice presidential candidate exemplifies why we are the party of the people and of the betterment of their future. With this selection the All Progressives Congress surely shall continue to be the party that shows the way and carries this nation towards its best future. I implore you all to join with me on this journey to a brighter future.