Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has again defended his choice of Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate, saying he picked him for the good of the country.
Tinubu is expected to officially unveil Shettima as his running mate to the party at its national secretariat today.
Tinubu’s choice of Shettima as vice presidential candidate has faced stiff opposition from within and outside the APC, with some party members dumping the party over what they described as lack of fairness.
Tinubu had explained his decision to settle for Shettima, saying he did so based on competence and the need to develop the country.
Reiterating his position yesterday, Tinubu through his campaign team said Shettima was picked for the common good.
A statement by director, media and communication of Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, said, “The TCO restates that religion or ethnicity was far from the calculations of the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in picking his running mate.
“If Asiwaju 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. 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.
“To assist him in realising this vision, he picked Kashim Shettima, who also established a track record of development in Borno State while he was governor for eight years, despite the Boko Haram crisis. Surely, only the deep knows how to call onto the deep,” he said.
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