By David Oluwatosin
Vice President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that only six of the 19 northern governors supported President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.
Shettima made the disclosure on Wednesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, while speaking at the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.
The Vice President said Tinubu remained committed to his presidential ambition despite limited support from governors in the North, eventually emerging victorious in the election.
“You all know that we have 19 states in the North. Out of these, only six actually believed and supported Tinubu, but Tinubu refused to be deterred. He was able to cross the road,” Shettima said.
He said the political atmosphere ahead of the 2023 election was further complicated by claims among some northern politicians that former President Muhammadu Buhari did not support Tinubu’s ambition to succeed him.
Shettima recalled the slogan, “Baba bayan sunshi,” which he said was used by some political actors to suggest that Buhari did not want Tinubu to become President.
According to him, Tinubu nevertheless continued with his campaign and, after winning the election, extended a hand of fellowship to those who had opposed his candidacy.
“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,” he said.
Shettima therefore urged politicians in Kwara State to emulate what he described as Tinubu’s approach to political reconciliation as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections.
He appealed to politicians to play politics without bitterness, stressing that disagreements arising from political contests should not become permanent divisions.
“I call on all of us to unite in this political season and play politics without bitterness. The truth that sets us free is also the truth that people don’t want to hear,” he said.
His appeal comes amid disagreements within the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress over the party’s governorship primary, with some aggrieved aspirants and their supporters forming a group known as the G-15.
The Vice President also reminded politicians that political office was temporary and should be exercised with humility and a commitment to public service.
“As public office holders, we spend more of our lives outside public offices than we do in public offices. Let us embrace each other, let us have the courage to serve with humility,” Shettima said.
He added that individuals occupy political offices not necessarily because of their pedigree, intellect or ability, but through a combination of destiny and the confidence of the electorate.
“We are in power not because of our pedigree, intellect, ability or physical build, but by destiny. What brings us together supersedes what separates us,” he said.
READ ALSO: FG earmarks N12bn for power interventions, promises Ikom electricity restoration
Shettima also praised the Tinubu administration’s handling of the economic challenges inherited by the government, saying the administration’s economic team had continued working to stabilise the economy.
“The economic team forged ahead to turn the economy around; today, Nigeria is better for it,” he said.
The Vice President described Tinubu as a decent leader who has confidence in those working with him, adding that he was pleased to serve as the President’s deputy.
He also commended the Emir of Ilorin for conferring the Sardauna title on AbdulRazaq, saying the governor’s father left an enduring legacy in the Ilorin Emirate and beyond.
Earlier, Shettima inaugurated the state’s Revenue House on Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin, and a garment factory in the state capital.
