VP Shettima Clarifies Tinubu Support Claim, Says Northern Governors Rallied After APC Primary

Vice President Kashim Shettima has clarified his earlier statement about the support President Bola Tinubu received from northern governors for his presidential bid.

Shettima, in a statement on Thursday, explained that six northern governors backed Tinubu before the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary, adding that after the primary, all the northern governors rallied behind him.

The clarification follows an earlier statement by Shettima on Wednesday in which he claimed only six northern governors supported President Tinubu for the 2023 elections.

However, in a statement on Thursday by his spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President clarified that the reference to six governors referred specifically to political consultations and alignments before the APC presidential primary in June 2022, not the 2023 elections directly.

Shettima said all the governors not only rallied behind Tinubu once he emerged as the APC candidate for the election, but also played important roles in the election victory.

“The Office of the Vice President wishes to clarify remarks by Vice President Kashim Shettima concerning the support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu received from northern governors in the build-up to his emergence as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The Vice President’s reference to six northern governors who believed in and supported President Tinubu was specifically about political consultations and alignments preceding the APC presidential primary in June 2022.

“It was not a comment on the position of northern APC governors following President Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate, nor was it intended to question their support during the 2023 presidential election.

“Following the presidential primary, APC governors in the North rallied around the party’s candidate and played important roles in the campaign and electoral efforts that culminated in President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election.

“VP Shettima holds the northern governors and other leaders of the APC in high regard and recognises their individual and collective contributions to the success of the party and the emergence of President Tinubu.

“The Vice President regrets any interpretation of his remarks that may have suggested otherwise and hopes this clarification places the comments in their proper context.

“VP Shettima also appreciates the Nigerian media for its longstanding professionalism and constructive engagement with his office and urges continued accuracy and context in the reporting of public remarks as the country approaches another political season,” the statement read.