‘We owe him’ — Kashim Shettima backs Tinubu’s presidential bid

Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno state, has thrown his weight behind the presidential bid of Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state.

Speaking at a Tinubu support group press conference in Abuja on Monday, Shettima said the former Lagos governor has sacrificed for the country, and that citizens owe him a debt of gratitude.

The senator representing Borno central said while other politicians were flocking around former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Tinubu took the “risk to build a political alternative to the ruling party”.

“Asiwaju’s choices and endorsements of northerners as presidential candidates while others were masterminding ethno-regional solidarity and fueling socio-cultural affinities readily affirm his pan-Nigerian profile,” Shettima said.

“Where others see divisions to exploit, he sees collaborations. And it’s this patience that has brought us together today, to remember the examples he’s set and the debt we owe him.

“Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu should be given the choice of first refusal. More than any other person, he has sacrificed more for this democracy, for the APC.”

Speaking on the concerns that have been raised about Tinubu’s age, the senator said leadership is not about lifting a bag of cement.

“One of such is the mischievous fixation on his age and the wild conclusions that he’s physically unsuitable for the office of the president,” he said.

“This obsession characterizes the thinking of those who have no understanding of Asiwaju’s incredible work ethic.

“The mark of true leadership isn’t the ability to lift a bag of cement. It’s the mental effort to think rationally of solutions designed to redeem one’s people and territorial jurisdiction.”