A former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has opened up on why Bola Tinubu won the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket.
According to Shettima, the reason is because of Tinubu’s promise of better days for Nigerians across all divides resonated with party members, stakeholders and delegates that voted at the party’s primary.
He said aside from the endorsement of Tinubu by six other presidential aspirants, his personality and nationwide acceptability played a crucial role in his emergence.
“Asiwaju emerged as victor against all odds because you elected to see through the mud thrown at him by those who couldn’t match his political credentials,” he said.
Shettima, who was one of the top supporters of Tinubu’s presidential ambition, revealed these in a series of tweets on his Twitter handle on Thursday.
Tinubu scored 1,271 votes to defeat his closest contenders, Rotimi Amaechi and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday.
Amaechi obtained 316 votes while Osinbajo polled 235.
He contested against 13 other aspirants – Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Mr Ahmed Rufai, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Mr Jack Rich, Governor Ben Ayade, Governor David Umahi, Senator Ahmed Yarima, Dr Ahmed Lawan, Osinbajo, Amaechi, Governor Yahaya Bello and Mr Ogbonnaya Onu.
Shettima wrote, “Our victory in the @OfficialAPCNg Presidential primaries is a testament to widespread belief in @officialABAT’s promise of better days by Nigerians across all divides. This is a victory for all of us, for those who defied pedestrian propaganda and falsehoods to stand with the truth
“This is the first lap of our race to rekindle your faith in Nigeria and pride in its possibilities in a fast-changing world. Asiwaju emerged as Victor against all odds because you elected to see through the mud thrown at him by those who couldn’t match his political credentials.
“The endorsement of Asiwaju by six aspirants even before the election, which he won by a massive landslide, underscored his mass appeal among the esteemed contenders. Thus, we call on them to join us in the second lap of this race. We can’t afford to do so without a united front.
“I congratulate you for being a part of this history and doing so without underlining any of the country’s fault-lines. This is the maturity and wisdom we intend to adopt in the coming days to bring you, patriots of a great nation, under one umbrella to market Asiwaju’s ideals.”
