The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, has maintained that there is nothing wrong in the choice of a muslim-muslim ticket, noting that Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate is accepted by all zones in the country.
Adamu in his address at the official unveiling of Senator Kashim Shettima, as Tinubu’s running mate in Abuja on Wednesday, stated that;
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a man who has also thrown his arms around every tribe in the country. He has offered his shoulders for those in pain to lean on; he has used his wealth to bring succour to the needy. He can be trusted to run an inclusive government in which character, competence and vision matter to his administration. Our party has produced a candidate who is accepted by all zones in our country. He enjoys the trust of every strata in our national socio-economic structure. We are confident that Nigerians will entrust him with the leadership of our country in 2023. We offer our gratitude to Nigerians for the continued trust they repose on the APC”.
Adamu’s speech read in full:
WE ARE UNITED AND READY FOR VICTORY
Being Text of the Speech of His Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Abdullahi Adamu, CON, Turakin Keffi, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress on the Occasion of the Unveiling of the Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Shehu Yar’Adua Center, Abuja on July 20, 2022.
PROTOCOLS
We were advised that this occasion is intended to unveil the vice-presidential candidate of our great party, APC. You may associate unveiling with the work of art, such as a sculpture by the great Ben Enwonwu. Those of us from rural areas know that our communities unveil and celebrate their distinguished and successful men and women too. It is now time for the APC to step out to the public space with one of its best. Since the presidential candidate of our party, Jagaban Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, announced the choice of his running mate on July 11, the nation is yet to know who he is. We welcome this opportunity to unveil him.
As the national chairman of our party, APC, it is both my honour and duty to unveil this distinguished son of our dear country and formally present him to this august body and through it, the Nigerian public. The APC vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election is Distinguished Senator Kashim Shettima. Please join me in welcoming him. We offer him our very hearty congratulations.
Those of you who are students of our recent political history will note that in choosing Shettima as his running mate, Jagaban chose also to walk along the path that other great son of this country, Aare Onakakanfo, the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola, did. He chose a Kanuri, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe from the North-East geo-political zone, as his running mate in the 1993 presidential election. We are beginning to suspect there must be some synergy between the Yoruba and the Kanuri. Maybe there is a mutual attraction between them that the rest of us do not know. Never mind, we will put the searchlight on them.
The 1993 presidential ticket and the current one bridged one of our fault lines in the management of our diversities. Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for that ticket because they trusted Abiola, a man who opened his arms to every tribe and religion in the country, to run an inclusive government in which no man or woman would be denied his or rights as a Nigerian citizen by the profession of his faith
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a man who has also thrown his arms around every tribe in the country. He has offered his shoulders for those in pain to lean on; he has used his wealth to bring succour to the needy. He can be trusted to run an inclusive government in which character, competence and vision matter to his administration. Our party has produced a candidate who is accepted by all zones in our country. He enjoys the trust of every strata in our national socio-economic structure. We are confident that Nigerians will entrust him with the leadership of our country in 2023. We offer our gratitude to Nigerians for the continued trust they repose on the APC.
In our political tradition, the choice of a running mate is the exclusive right of the presidential candidate. He exercises that right with due consultations with the stake holders in the party. Jagaban, being an astute politician, could not have made the choice of a running mate without widely consulting the stake holders in our party, including President Muhammadu Buhari. Having made his choice, the party wholly and unconditionally accepts his choice. The party has a duty to work for their victory at the polls next year.
At this time in our national development, and given the myriads of our national challenges, we should look for men and women of character, competence and demonstrable evidence of their performance in public or private offices. We believe these informed Jagaban’s decision to select Senator Shettima because he fits the bill.
Senator Shettima brings to the joint ticket impressive antecedents as a political leader and administrator. Senator Tinubu could not have made a better choice of a running mate. He chose a man he believes can partner with him to undertake the urgent task of our economic recovery as well as social and political development in peace and security.
Senator Shettima was a two-term governor of Borno State before being elected into the senate of the federal republic. As governor, he did what one might rightly describe as titanic things. He demonstrated his capacity as a focused leader when his state was virtually under siege by Boko Haram. When the bombs were exploding and the bullets were flying, he bravely continued to provide for his people, building new primary and post-primary schools, health facilities and housing projects. He never abandoned his people. He continued to serve them under virtually impossible conditions. Senator Kashim Shettima is not a stranger to the security challenges confronting our dear country going by his personal and first hand experiences with Boko Haram while they were at the peak of their operations in Borno State. He has earned his right to a higher political office. He must now move up the ladder of our national service as the next vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The unveiling of the vice-presidential candidate today sends out a strong signal to the country that our great party is ready and united around the common cause of coasting home with victory at every level in 2023. But we must not be unmindful of the hurdles ahead. It is time to purge ourselves of the bitterness arising from our individual losses in the party primaries. It is time to submit ourselves to the Will of God and the party and do nothing to sabotage its well-laid plans for victory. The other political parties want what we want, and that is, to win and form the next government. If by any acts of omission or commission we give in to bitterness and pettiness or fail to see the larger picture or take any of the political parties for granted, we would constitute an obstacle to the victory of our party. As the faithful would like to say, that will not be our portion. Our winning strategy must be anchored on a unity of purpose. I urge us to begin our march now towards the sunrise.
Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour and pleasure to unveil and welcome on board, our vice presidential candidate, the Distinguished Senator Kashim Shettima.
Thank you and may Almighty Allah bless our efforts.
