Zulum: Tinubu made the wisest choice by picking Shettima as running mate

Babagana Zulum, Borno governor, says Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, made the “wisest choice” by choosing Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 election, on Sunday announced Shettima as his VP pick.

Shettima is a serving senator and a former two-term governor of Borno state.

Zulum described Shettima as a politician with a “very deep understanding of our country and its complexities”.

“For me, and I am sure for many leaders and members of the APC, Tinubu’s choice of HE Kashim Shettima is the wisest choice at this point in time,” he said.

“Shettima’s choice is very personal to me and together with our leaders and all stakeholders and members of the APC, we shall campaign vigorously, work day and night, to collectively secure overwhelming victory for the APC in 2023, insha’Allah.

“Without the slightest doubt, HE Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has chosen a leader who has very deep understanding of our country and its complexities. There is hardly any tribe in any of Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT that Senator Kashim Shettima cannot knowledgeably speak about. He knows the social, cultural, religious, economic and political structure of virtually all the 36 States and the FCT.

“Shettima is extremely patriotic. He believes so much in the unity of this country and he has proved it on a number of occasions.”

Zulum said Shettima spent over N30 billion on agricultural machinery during his administration following his prediction of a potential fall in the value of naira.

“As far back as 2012, Shettima had on many occasions predicted the likelihood of fall in revenue from oil just as he predicted potential fall in the value of naira to dollar, which was why he imported agricultural products worth over N30 billion which today are worth far more, making Borno one of the richest in agricultural machinery,” he said.

The announcement of Shettima as the APC vice-presidential candidate came shortly after Ibrahim Masari stepped down as the “placeholder” running mate of Tinubu.

Masari was in June selected as Tinubu’s running mate — but only in a temporary capacity.