Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has again reiterated the reasons why he picked Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement by his campaign team on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, Tinubu said his choice of Shettima is far from religion or ethnicity.
In the statement signed by, Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media & Communication of the Tinubu Campaign Organization, the presidential candidate said he picked the former governor of Borno State because of his track record of development in the state.
Many Nigerians especially Christians have criticized the emergence of Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate as both candidates are Muslims.
The presidential candidate admitted that his choice of a vice presidential candidate has generated a heated debate across the country, adding that he followed the controversy.
Tinubu, however, argued that if “he intended to cash in on ethnicity, he would have picked a running mate from the North Western part of Nigeria, which has the highest number of registered voters”.
He also said, “If he wanted to appeal to the base instincts of religion, he would have also gone for a candidate in the Christian-dominated parts of Nigeria”.
“But there was no such consideration. Instead he picked a tested politician and technocrat from the minority Kanuri ethnic group from the North East.
“The factors at play were issues germane to confronting the multi-dimensional crisis our nation faces today: insecurity, economic problems, such as the unemployment crisis facing our youths.
“Our candidate canvassed on his track record in Lagos to win the APC primary last June. As governor between 1999 and 2007, he was able to transform a decadent state into the fourth biggest economy in Africa. He believes that his feat in Lagos can be replicated all over Nigeria.
Source: pulse.ng.com
