Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Thursday clarified remarks made by him concerning the support President Bola Tinubu received from northern governors in the build-up to his emergence as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Shettima had on Wednesday at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, during the installation of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin spoke about the support of six of the 19 northern governors for the presidential ambition of Tinubu in 2023.
However, the vice-president, in a release issued by his Media Assistant, Stanley Nkwocha, stated that his reference to six northern governors, who believed in and supported President Tinubu, was specifically about political consultations and alignments preceding the APC presidential primary in June 2022.
According to the statement, it was not a comment on the position of northern APC governors following President Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate, nor was it intended to question their support during the 2023 presidential election.
The release further stated: “Following the presidential primary, APC governors in the north rallied around the party’s candidate and played important roles in the campaign and electoral efforts that culminated in President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election.
“Indeed, it is worthy of note that it was after the declaration of President Tinubu as winner of the 2023 presidential primaries that all other governors across the country rallied round and followed suit. That declaration by the northern governors hence became the aligning moment across all political divides in the quest for power shift.
“VP Shettima holds the northern governors and other leaders of the APC in high regard and recognises their individual and collective contributions to the success of the party and the emergence of President Tinubu.
“The vice-president regrets any interpretation of his remarks that may have suggested otherwise and hopes this clarification places the comments in their proper context.
“VP Shettima also appreciates the Nigerian media for its longstanding professionalism and constructive engagement with his office and urges continued accuracy and context in the reporting of public remarks as the country approaches another political season.”