PRESIDENCY STOPS TINUBU FROM UNVEILING SHETTIMA AS RUNNING MATE IN 2023, AS SARA-IGBE, OTHERS KICK

The Presidency yesterday stopped the unveiling of a former Borno State Governor KASHIM SHETTIMA as the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential poll.

The presidential candidate, ASIWAJU BOLA TINUBU’s choice of SHETTIMA as his running mate sparked immediate backlash with the majority of Christians rejecting the Muslim Muslim ticket.

Meanwhile, a Niger Delta Activist and Coordinator of Southern Leadership Forum (SLF), Chief ANABS SARA-IGBE has described the choice of SHETTIMA KASHIM as insensitive to the yearnings of many Nigerians.

SARA-IGBE, who spoke with Brave Views in an exclusive interview, said he would have liked to vote for BOLA TINUBU but for the choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

He berated the Federal Government’s inability to fix the security infrastructure of the country, when the present administration is running on a Muslim-Christian ticket and wondered what would become of Nigeria with a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

In the meantime, a source said, the Presidency decided to suspend SHETTIMA’s unveiling to enable the party to clear all issues concerning his nomination.

Understandably, the APC is under intense criticism for preferring elderly men to younger persons that can attract the youths.

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) BABACHIR LAWAL had criticized the choice of SHETTIMA as running mate, describing him as “an overambitious man, who has a Machiavellian bent and has lots of money with which, to procure a preferred candidate status among TINUBU’s lapdogs”.

In a related development, a coalition of 28 groups on Wednesday rejected the choice of the former Borno State governor, saying the best running mate should be Dr. IBRAHIM BELLO DAUDA.

Speaking on the suspension of the planned unveiling of KASHIM SHETTIMA, an APC leader claimed the Presidency ordered the suspension of the event.