The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may have finally settled for the former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election.
Fellers on Sunday indicated that after weeks of prevarication, the former governor of Lagos State, may have finally made up his mind.
Earlier Sunday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reported that Tinubu will unveil his choice of running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the leader of the party in his hometown in Daura, Katsina State on Sunday (today).
Quoting an unnamed “highly-competent source in the Tinubu Campaign Organisation,” in the report, NAN said, “The vice-presidential nominee may most likely be a former governor and senator from the Northeast part of Nigeria.
The person is also by accident of birth a Muslim, confirming what Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said on Saturday that Tinubu had settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket,’’ the source said.
The source added that in picking the running mate, Tinubu was not thinking about religion, but about competence, exposure and intellectual depth of the candidate.
“The considerations given for the choice of a running mate were dictated by the need to choose an individual capable of working with the presidential candidate to take Nigeria to greater heights.”
The former two-term Lagos State governor won APC’s presidential ticket at the party’s June 8 Special National Convention and presidential primary election.
He earlier chose Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, as placeholder for the vice-presidential slot.
Tinubu was away in France from June 27 on a short vacation during which he held some strategic meetings.
He returned to Nigeria on Saturday early enough for the Sallah festivities.
President Buhari has been in Daura since Friday for the Eid-el Kabir celebration.
Shettima played a lead role in the pre-presidential primaries campaign of Tinubu.
Shettima, the representative of Borno Central Senatorial District, was a former two-term governor of Borno State.