Why I picked Shettima as running mate - Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced former Borno State governor, Senator Kashim Shetima, as his running mate for the 2023 general elections.

He made this known in an interactive session with reporters when he paid Sallah homage to President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, on Sunday.

Alhaji Kabiru Ibrahim Masari, whose name he had earlier submitted as his running mate, tendered his resignation in a letter to the party on Sunday.

Tinubu was accompanied to Daura by Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, shortly after his aircraft landed at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Airport in Katsina State.

He briefed reporters about the choice after a closed-door meeting that lasted about an hour with Buhari.

He said, “We have a very good period of the season, this time of the year and to really pay homage to him (the president) and then share part of his holiday and lunch and equally discuss the question of my substantive running mate.

“The only one that was in place has withdrawn today and there was an announcement already to replace him with Kashim Shettima. I have not discussed it with him; I have disclosed it to you since I have disclosed it to the president,” Tinubu told reporters.

When asked about the strength and formidability of his party ahead of the general elections, the former Lagos State governor said, “We are going to win Insha Allah because we are a progressive party. We have the focus on Nigeria’s problems and we will face the challenge squarely. We are not running away from it.

“We have a better programme for the people and about the people and ready to serve. Within a short period of time, there will be a good foundation for infrastructure. We face the challenges of terrorism, we know that. It is only a poor thinker and observer that will not recognise the challenge. But once you recognise a challenge, you can prepare yourself very well and defeat it,” he said.

Prior to the unveiling of Shettima, the polity was heated up over a single-faith ticket.

While the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) rejected the idea and warned parties against it, some stakeholders asked Nigerians to focus more on competence than sentiment.

Speaking on settling for Shettima as running mate, Tinubu in a statement said, 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.

He said he consulted widely on the issue of running mate and he appreciated the perspectives of leading members of the party, political allies and key national figures “who see Nigeria’s future as I do”.

Tinubu said the belief in prioritising leadership, competence, and the ability to work as a team over other considerations influenced his running mate choice.

“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 advised that I should select a Christian to please the Christian community. Others 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 reasons 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 towards 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.”

To those who might feel displeased by his action, Tinubu said, “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 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 towards 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.”