Vice-President Kashim Shettima has revealed that only six of the 19 Northern governors supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential bid in the 2023 election.
Shettima named Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello as two of the six governors, while declining to mention the other four.
The Vice-President made this known on Wednesday at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate.
Speaking about Tinubu’s political journey ahead of the 2023 election, Shettima said the president faced opposition from several political actors in the North.
He said only a few Northern governors supported Tinubu at the time, but the president continued with his campaign despite the situation.
“You all know that we have 19 states in the North. Out of these, only six actually believed and supported Tinubu. Apart from Former Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger, seated here, and Malam Abdurrahman AbdulRazaq… to avoid controversy, I will stop naming the names of the other governors. But the governors that were supporting President Tinubu in the North were not more than six. However, Tinubu refused to be deterred. He was able to cross the road,” he said.
Shettima also called on politicians to settle their differences after elections and avoid allowing political disagreements to destroy relationships.
He particularly urged politicians in Kwara State to reconcile after the All Progressives Congress primaries, regardless of who emerges.
The Vice-President pointed to Tinubu’s actions after the 2023 election, saying the president reconciled with Northern governors who had opposed his presidential bid.
“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 also advised political leaders to remain humble, saying public office is temporary and that power is ultimately determined by God.
“Power is given by God to the people He so wishes and not because they are better than other people,” Shettima said.
Speaking on the economy, the Vice-President said the Tinubu administration focused on addressing the challenges it inherited instead of spending time assigning blame.
He said the administration inherited about $3.9 billion when it took office and faced a difficult economic situation.
According to Shettima, Tinubu remained committed to his economic reforms and directed his economic team to continue implementing them despite the challenges.
