President Muhammadu Buhari has told Kashim Shettima, the running mate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, that he will respond to him when he is handing over to them in 2023.
According to a statement signed by Garba Shehu, the President’s aide on Media and Publicity, Buhari was responding to a flowery speech by Senator Shettima.
Shettima was picked as the running mate to Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a controversial Muslim-Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC and was unveiled before the party’s leadership on Wednesday.
“I will respond to your speech when I am handing over to you and your boss. God willing, you are going to win,” Buhari told Shettima.
Buhari said this when he received Shettima and Tinubu at the Presidential Villa shortly after he(Shettima)was unveiled, adding that he is very happy with the choice of the former Governor of Borno State as running mate.
“I wish you the best. Your consistency in the party is very respectful. You served your two terms as Governor and finished well.
“You have kept touch with your base. At every important occasion or event, you are maintaining support for the one who succeeded you. This is commendable,“ he said.
Tinubu and his party went ahead to select Shettima as the vice presidential candidate despite the resistance from Nigerians against a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket.
Buhari, who could not pick Tinubu, a Southern Muslim as as his running mate in 2014, said he is strongly optimistic that the former Lagos State Governor and his running mate will emerge victorious in 2023.
The selection of Shettima has received a wide range of mixed reactions from Nigerians. While some believe that competence should be the focus, others say that Nigeria at this point does not need a same-faith presidency.
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