The All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy’s national publicity secretary, Hon. Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, has applauded the choice of Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, as Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s running mate.
Recall that Shettima was introduced by Tinubu as his running companion for the impending 2023 elections on Sunday.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket has drawn criticism from Nigerians of all stripes.
Ajaka stressed that neither man is an ultra-Muslim in a statement he released about the announcement on Monday in Abuja, and he urged Nigerians to look beyond religion and clan.
Ajaka’s statement reads in part, “The sterling qualities of our vice-presidential candidate, in the person of Senator Kashim Shettima, has once again thrown the opposition parties off balance.
“While we sympathise with the opposition parties, we appeal to Nigerians, who will eventually be the beneficiaries of good governance under Tinubu-Shettima presidency, to see beyond the sentiments of religion and tribe. Both Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima are not religious fundamentalists or ultra-Muslims. Their records in public offices are testimonies to rely on.
“As a two-term governor in Borno state, Shettima enjoyed the support of the Christian community throughout his tenure.”
