Vice President Kashim Shettima clarified his remarks on northern governors’ support for President Bola Tinubu. The clarification came on Thursday through a statement from Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications Stanley Nkwocha.
Shettima had spoken on Wednesday at the palace of Emir of Ilorin Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari. The occasion marked the turbaning of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate. Shettima said at the event: “You all know that we have 19 states in the North. Out of these, only six actually believed and supported Tinubu.”
He named former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and AbdulRazaq among the six. He declined to list the others to avoid controversy. Shettima also stated: “After the 2023 election, President Tinubu hugged and forgave all other northern governors that did not support him. That is a mark of a good leader.”
Nkwocha issued the statement the next day. It explained that the reference to six governors covered political consultations and alignments before the All Progressives Congress presidential primary in June 2022.
The statement said: “The Vice President’s reference to six northern governors who believed in and supported President Tinubu was specifically about political consultations and alignments preceding the APC presidential primary in June 2022.”
It added that the comment was not about the governors’ position after Tinubu emerged as the party candidate. It was also not intended to question their support in the 2023 presidential election.
The statement further noted that northern APC governors rallied around the candidate after the primary. They played important roles in the campaign and electoral efforts that led to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election.
Shettima expressed high regard for the northern governors and other APC leaders. He recognised their individual and collective contributions to the party’s success. He regretted any interpretation that suggested otherwise and hoped the clarification placed his comments in proper context.
