By: James Bwala
In less than 11 days from now, the All Progressive Congress, APC will name the running mate for its Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Already intrigue among politicians was high on who to choose for a better strategy to bring home the party flag on the seat of power.
Certain groups from the northwest have been clamouring for one of their own forgetting the facts that the northeast, which stood with them in the past, has a stake and needs to be given the opportunity to serve just as the presidency was shifted to the southwest for fair considerations.
Politics has its own headache, however, if the party allowed itself to be drag by forces from the northwest who appeared to be self-seeking at this crucial time, the repercussion will be politically suicidal and the chances for the party to make impact will be slim.
Like the penguin, I would not fail in my analysis for a victorious APC with Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The wind does not blow from west to the west , rather it should be blowing in the opposite direction. So should be the direction of APC.
There cannot be anyone compared by pedigree in terms of governance, technicalities, and people oriented leadership skills like Senator Kashim Shettima in the line of those already presented to the party.
It is high time for the northeast governor’s forum through His Excellency, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum to do the needful by presenting Kashim Shettima for the choice. Indeed, the northeast must understand the facts that they must awaken from self-seeking to put facts before them.
Kashim Shettima has done what no one else’s done in the movement without wavering. He understands Tinubu as much as Tinubu understands him. There can be no better choice as such, and our leaders and men of reason should know that there is hope for Nigeria with Kashim Shettima working side by side with Tinubu.
A group under the aegis of Northern Youth Unity Forum( Northeast chapter) has declared that the best running mate for APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be Senator Kashim Shettima from Borno State and I totally agree with this line of understanding..
Spokesman of the group Comrade Usman Mustapha who made this known in Gombe at the end of the second quarter meeting of the group, said Senator Shettima has all it takes to be the next Vice President of Nigeria in 2023.
He explained that Senator Shettima, beyond his unalloyed loyalty to Asiwaju Tinubu, has “enormous political goodwill in the Northeast and Northern Nigeria and has strategic ideas that can boost the electoral fortunes of the APC in the region.
According to him, Senator Shettima has the required competence to ensure APC’s victory in the 2023 presidential elections, because he has never failed to deliver on any assignment, from his days as governor of Borno State and as a Senator of the Federal Republic.
He equally challenges any Nigerian to tell us who has been the closest, most loyal political associate of Asiwaju Tinubu in the whole of the North today. According to him, Shettima remains first in line because of his well-known politics of reliability, consistency and legendary generosity in today’s Nigeria.
He said APC 2023 presidential candidate needs a calm, intelligent, well-connected and articulate running mate as such; Senator Shettima is simply unbeatable in terms of modern leadership skills, efficient and effective management of resources, while commanding respect across the North and southern part of the country.
I think this is the final advice. Kashim Shettima is standing on a firm ground. His position is in a win-win space. It would be better to stand with such a person than to run behind the mood thinking its resting place is down the hills or behind the mountains.