Politics

By Prof. Abdussamad Umar Jibia

The All Progressive Congress (APC) is undoubtedly a party that brings together some of the most outstanding politicians in Nigeria. However, what makes the APC most attractive is the fact that it is in power. It seized this power from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a party that ruled Nigeria for 16 years and was also adjudged a failure by the majority of Nigerians. That is why many people do not see PDP as the solution despite all the shortcomings of the APC-led government and the economic and security challenges confronting Nigerians.

One manifestation of the interest Nigerians have in the APC is the occupation of social media discussions, radio and television programmes and interpersonal group discussions by the APC Presidential ticket. Last week, Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu, a devout Muslim from Lagos, won the APC Presidential primary election with a landslide to qualify as the party flag bearer in the 2023 presidential election. As is the tradition, Alhaji Tinubu, a southerner, is expected to pick a Northerner as his running mate.

But there is also another tradition. Christian flagbearers usually pick Muslim running mates, and Muslim flagbearers choose Christian running mates. The examples are many. In fact, since Nigeria’s return to party politics, that has been the case. First it was Obasanjo/Atiku, then Yaradua/Jonathan followed by Jonathan/Sambo and now Buhari/Osinbajo. But in all these examples, the Muslims are Northerners, and the Christians are southerners. There is no problem since it can be said with a reasonable degree of accuracy that Christians are the majority in the South and a negligible minority in the North.

Now, should Asiwaju pick a Northern Nigerian Christian as his running mate? I listened to many arguments. The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, for example, said religion does not matter in the choice of a running mate. What matters, according to him, is competence. This argument is faulty because democracy is about the choice of the majority, a choice characteristically influenced by many factors, including ethnicity, religion, gratifications, etc., in our country. If it is just about merit, candidates would be selected based on their performance in a standard examination on governance organized by my colleagues in Political Sciences Department.

The position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is the most uncouth and uncivilized. CAN thinks they have a monopoly for violence and always use threats instead of valid logic. Suppose their position was backed by sound logic. In that case, all they have to do is present their arguments to Nigerians including Christians and non-Christians like every other individual and group does. The rest shall be for Nigerians to judge. Again, in politics, threat is the language of someone who has no one to influence, and it is obvious that peace-loving Nigerian Christians have lost faith in CAN and are no longer controlled by its rantings.

The fact is, any step taken by a political party preparing for an election is carefully handled to attract majority votes from the electorates. This includes the choice of its flagbearer and their running mate, its manifesto, which, unfortunately, most Nigerian voters do not read, its campaign strategy, etc.

Now, who are the majority voters in Northern Nigeria and what is their relationship with the minority? What would happen to the chances of APC if this majority realizes that the party is succumbing to threats like that of CAN to select its running mate? Is it by force to vote for the ruling party after all? Can’t they look and vote for an alternative?

Religion was not captured in the 2006 census. Still, we can have a good idea of the Muslim: Christian ratio in the North by considering the ratio of elected politicians in the North. Of the 19 elected governors in the North, 16 are Muslims representing 84.2 %, while three are Christians representing 15.8 % in the North and 8 % nationwide. Of the 58 senators from the North, nine are Christians representing 15.5 % in the North and 9 % in the entire country. In the North Central geopolitical zones, there are more Muslims than Christians. Four of the North Central elected governors are Muslims, with the other two being Christians.

These figures mean Northern Christians are a tiny minority compared to their Northern Muslim compatriots. Their number is even smaller when the country is considered as a whole and much smaller if we remember that most Christians in the North would not vote for APC regardless of its flagbearer or his running mate. You may wish to look at the voting pattern of Benue, Taraba and Southern Kaduna.

Over the years, activities of groups like CAN have set the Northern Christian minority against the Muslim majority. It is so bad that in any Northern Nigerian community where Christians are the majority, the story is about hate and violence against Muslims. The examples are many.

For example, as I am writing this piece, there is no single Muslim left in Tafawa Balewa, the hometown of the first Nigerian prime minister. The few Muslims who have not been killed have migrated to Bauchi and other places. Incidentally, that is the constituency of Yakubu Dogara, one of the Northern Christians being mentioned in the selection of a running mate for the APC flagbearer. In the event Dogara becomes the running mate of Asiwaju, the question every Northern Nigerian Muslim would ask is, is it compulsory for me to vote for my killer?

Other examples of Christian communities known for their violence against Muslims are Plateau State and Southern Kaduna. Over the last several decades, whole Muslim communities have been attacked and nearly wiped out in these places. Yet, when commissions of enquiry are set up, the grievances of the Northern Christians have always been that emirs dominate them, their great grandparents were enslaved, they are not given opportunities, etc.

Muslims have made many overtures in states where they have the majority in order to take Christians along and make them feel at home. An example of this is Kaduna state. It has always been ensured that the Deputy Governor of Kaduna is a Christian even though a Muslim-Muslim ticket can win with a landslide, as demonstrated in 2019. In their efforts to give Christians maximum opportunity, Muslim politicians were once suppressed to allow a Christian to become the governor. Where in the whole of the Christian world has this ever happened?

Moreover, chiefdoms were created for them by the Ahmed Makarfi administration to address Christians’ complaints of being traditionally ruled by emirs. After all these overtures, the same people killed over 1000 Muslims on one day in Zonkwa. Those who are saying that appointing a Christian as the running mate of Asiwaju would bring Christians and Muslims closer are probably not aware of this.

Compare the case of Kaduna with that of Plateau. Plateau has a population of Muslims equivalent to the population of Christians in Kaduna State. Yet, a Muslim has never been a Deputy Governor, much less a Governor. Attacks on Muslim communities in Plateau and Southern Kaduna only ceased because of the Fulani herders who, unlike the Hausa, would always take revenge when attacked. When the intolerant Christians realized it was a war they could not win, they had to declare peace.

That does not mean Muslim travellers are not intercepted in Plateau and massacred. We are very much aware of the murder of General Idris Alkali by Lafendeg non-Muslims. Yet, somehow, all the suspects arrested have been released due to the influence of the Governor, Simon Bako Lalong. We saw how he was running up and down between the state house and the Defence Headquarters to ensure that the culprits were not punished. Today, not even a fly of Plateau state has been convicted due to the murder of General Idris, a high-profile Muslim Army General.

Those pushing for Lalong to become Asiwaju’s running mate are probably ignorant of this. Suppose Lalong, who is only a Governor can successfully follow up to ensure that murderers of Muslims are not punished. What would happen if, tomorrow, he sits as the Acting President with full control of the country’s security apparatus and a similar thing happens?

Now take Babachir Lawal and the more charismatic Boss Mustapha. Both are from Adamawa State and were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari only because he is Buhari, the darling of Northerners. The only question I have here is whether they have the political strength to defeat Atiku in their state. Certainly no. Outside Adamawa, other rules apply.

This write-up is not meant to malign any politician. On the contrary, all the Christian politicians I have mentioned above have APC dear to their hearts and wouldn’t like to see it lose at the polls. That is also the intention here.

Northern Nigerian Christians have not adequately prepared themselves for elections at the National level due to unnecessary inferiority complex and hate towards their Muslim neighbours. Of course, there are outstanding ones among them as no rule exists without exception. However, the collective behaviour of a community is used to assess people anywhere.

For now, Northern Christians may wish to set their house in order and plan for the future. Elections are not won by threats but by careful planning and building bridges.

Professor Abdussamad Jibia can be contacted via aujibia@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Aminu

The Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), General Lucky Irabor, has said that security agencies have foiled what could have been major attacks in Kano and Abuja last week.

Gen. Irabor also said citizens must trust and support the military and other security agencies for the war on insecurity to be more effective in the country.

The CDS disclosed this while speaking on a Channels Television special programme on Sunday for Democracy Day.

He regretted that violent incidents continued in Nigeria but argued that security agencies had averted several others.

“Security agencies had halted what could have been a major attack in Kano and Abuja,” he said.

“We recovered a large quantum of arms and ammunition and other materials which, of course, the criminals were intending to use in various parts of the country, including Abuja,” he added.

He said the security operatives across the country record many successes despite persistent criminal activities.

Gen. Irabor, therefore, called on Nigerians to trust and support the security operatives as all Nigerians are potential victims.

“I’m a victim as well as any Nigerian that is on the street. We are all victims together. There’s no one who is on the other side. We are in it together. We are on the frontlines. Trust is not something we need to beg for.

“I will seek and crave the indulgence of all Nigerians to say that there has to be trust. Trust must exist, and trust must be given in all respect so that together we will achieve the state of peace that we so desire,” he said.

However, he admitted that the desired state of security is yet to be achieved as many parts of the country are disturbed by violent crimes, including kidnapping and gunmen massacres.

It can be recalled that recently police in Kano intercepted a vehicle laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) on its way to the state via Jigawa State.

Similarly, the Department of State Security ( DSS) arrested a top commander of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) identified as Malam Abba in Kano.

Kano and Jigawa States are the only relatively secure states in Northwestern Nigeria where bandit-terrorists continue killing and abducting innocent citizens.

By Adamu Hussaini.

Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, I have followed the politics and its sentiment based on region and religion for about two decades. The organic way it has been going is that whenever a southerner/Christian emerges as the presidential candidate of a particular party, his running mate will automatically be a Muslim from the northern region and vice visa. This has been the practice starting from the days of President Olusegun Obasanjo, a southwestern Christian, to his successor, late Umaru Musa Yar’adua of blessed memory. Who came from a northwestern Muslim family to Dr Goodluck Jonathan, an Ijaw Christian from the south-south Niger Delta region, down to the current President, Muhammadu Buhari of the northern extraction.

 All their running mates are from other regions and religious divides. The only time in Nigerian Democratic history where a Muslim-Muslim ticket was formed was in late MKO Abiola’s June 12, 1993, with his running mate Babagana Kingibe.

If we can recall vividly, after the 2014 presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhamadu Buhari wanted to pick Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as his running mate. But other powerful politicians, like the former senate president and a two-term Governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki, stood their ground and vehemently opposed it because of the fear of having a Muslim-Muslim ticket. We left it for history to judge whether they did it based on fairness or selfish political interest.

Suddenly, the political equations are trying to deviate from the known established political norms, which characterized the Nigerian politics of regional and religious sentiments; after the emergence of Senator Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Muslim as the APC presidential candidate and the party’s flag bearer for the 2023 general election. Tinubu was a former Southwestern Lagos State governor. Since Tinubu is a Muslim from the south, Nigerians expect him to pick a northern Christian as his running mate this time. This will be seen as fairness, equity, “JUSTICE,” and the possibility of carrying all the religious beliefs.

But considering a Christian running mate has its political consequences. Because many may argue that northern politics is based on religious sentiments, you may find that there are only three states, Taraba, Benue and Plateau state, out of the 19 northern states that have Christians as both the Governor and their deputy. So, why not the party pick a Muslim from the north as Senator Tinubu’s running mate? Since the primary reason(s) for forming a political party is to win elections.

Many believed that the opposition People Democratic Party, PDP jettisoned its zoning arrangement to field the former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate to woo northern votes. Since the northwestern state of Kano has more votes than some five small states in the south, in this case, Tinubu’s running mate should be a Muslim from the northwest, where there are a lot of votes or the northeastern part of the country, where they have never produced a Nigerian president in the last 20 years for equity sake. In my little political observation. PDP gave Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the ticket because religious politics is more pronounced in Arewa than in the southern part of Nigeria.

Lastly, I think the earlier we start looking at who has competence, vision, enviable track record, and pedigree, among other virtues, the better for us as a people. And not electing or supporting candidates because of the region they came from, or their religious beliefs are better for the country. Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world. So anything happening there may affect other black races living on the African continent. as the saying goes, “a stitch in time saves nine.”

Hussaini wrote from Gombe state, Nigeria and can be reached through hadamugombe@gmail.com.

By Amir Abdulazeez

The primary elections of the two leading political parties, APC and PDP, had come and gone. However, the dust raised by the exercises across various states of the federation is yet to settle. As things are going, it is unlikely that both parties’ primary election appeal committees will adequately or significantly settle the dust to the extent of amounting to a major change of the status quo. After all, everything was clear; the contests were majorly a measure of financial power.

As usual, our attempts to digest the intrigues and expectations of the upcoming grand 2023 event have once again resulted in endless debates that often lead to more confusion than clarifications. Certain political dynamics cannot be adequately explained by simple analysis or even complex ones. This is truer for cases like Nigeria, where deep insight is considered old-fashioned, authentic information is always scarce, and genuine narratives are always twisted.

Ahead of the just concluded APC Primaries, many accused Yemi Osinbajo of being a traitor and betrayer by contesting against his benefactor Tinubu. However, few people will understand that only one out of a million people will go so close to the presidency as Osinbajo did without succumbing to the temptation of taking a shot at it. The cabal theory notwithstanding, he is perhaps the Nigerian Vice President who was closest to the full privileges of the presidency in recent history. At a time, the Professor himself appeared like the next President in waiting. In sincere terms, Osinbajo may feel that running for the Presidency is more of an attempt to fulfil a destiny than betraying a godfather whose help he may not need any longer.

Maybe, many have forgotten that the Vice President had at a time been an Acting President with virtually full Presidential powers. He is aware of people’s confidence in his competence and knows that many factors are against Tinubu’s candidacy. With the Southwest as the default region where APC will likely have its next candidate, it is only natural he (the second default candidate) tries his luck in case Tinubu (the default candidate) does not get the nod. How can he cash in on a Tinubu collapse if he doesn’t contest? If he hadn’t competed, his promoters would never have forgiven him. Now that he had competed, he knows the extents and limits of his political strengths, which might have been hitherto exaggerated.

Some analysts have accused Tinubu of trying to become President at all costs despite being sick and unstable. We have forgotten that he had, since 1998, invested almost 25 years of his life (and health) trying to reach this point, and we all know he will need an ultimate reward at the end of it all. Now that the prize is within reach, only one out of a million people will back off over health challenges that are yet to prevent him from managing a public appearance. When he made all those sacrifices and concessions, many of us did not bother to understand the larger picture of where he was heading. If not for democracy, one will suggest that the APC ticket should’ve been handed over to him unopposed.

Therefore, Tinubu has fought for long. He has been in the opposition all his life. He has helped build a new political order in Nigeria. Without him, power will still likely be with the PDP and maybe forever. It’s not his making that his health appears to be failing him at this moment of near fulfilment, but as a human, he will continue believing his condition is good enough to manage him to the finish line. The late President Ƴaradua’s situation in 2010 should teach us some lessons, that of Buhari in 2017 too. Tinubu is undoubtedly not the best APC had on offer capacity-wise, but he is the most formidable. His political structure is out of this world. Win or lose, at least they have repaid a significant part of the debt they owe him.

In the build-up to the primaries, we all thought everyone was an enemy of the Southeast since the rest of Nigeria had refused to zone the presidency to the region exclusively. In his speech at the APC convention, Ogbonnaya Onu emotionally shouted for justice against the Igbo marginalization. If not for the APC and PDP Southeast delegates who proved the Igbos’ unpreparedness by refusing to vote for any of their kinsmen, everyone would simply be emotionally blackmailed. Besides, we have all seen how disorganized the Southeast aspirants were across both parties.

From 2003 to 2010, the Southeast was considered a formidable political bloc, but they wasted opportunity after opportunity to consolidate. Instead, they focused on ethnic and religious politics. Conceding the Presidency to the Southwest in 1999 was basically a military arrangement executed against democratic principles. The Southeast demanding the same in a maturing democracy is quite tricky. In this era, no one will gift you the Presidency; you have to earn it.

Another aspirant is NNPP’s Rabi’u Kwankwaso. His critics accuse him of being a local champion. However, his supporters insist on rating him higher than Atiku and Tinubu based on a tangible track record. However, the debate is not as simple as it seems. The same scale cannot be used to measure Tinubu, Kwankwaso and especially Atiku, as their political career paths are distinctively different. The truth is that Kwankwaso is a national figure who has invested too much energy in local politics, which was why he achieved what he has achieved. However, this has come with a price because he has dominated and taken away all the local relevance he could’ve easily allowed his subordinates to coordinate, a feat that would’ve given him a Tinubu-like aura. In the end, he ends up fighting for crumbs with local people, making him unavoidably local.

What of Peter Obi? He appears to have more packaging than substance, but he is yet another litmus test for the Southeast. They feel denied, marginalized and short-changed. Their response should be a massive vote for him. Even if he may not win, they will succeed in sending a strong message ahead of 2027. However, there is a wiser option. They can use Petr Obi as a bargaining tool with someone like Kwankwaso for example; form an alliance, challenge the red-cap man to deliver the Northwest zone while offering Southeast and see whether something will come out of it.

The bottom line is that we don’t need to be too upset or over-obsessed with anybody’s ambition, any region’s miscalculations or any party’s misdirection. There are so many choices in the political landscape that our myopia hinders us from utilizing. For example, if you genuinely want an Igbo president, the Labour Party has fielded Peter Obi. If you want somebody whose hands are not shaking, NNPP has fielded Kwankwaso, etc. So quietly do the needful and urge others to do the same. Give it a try. The strong parties and candidates are only front liners because you and I made them so.

Nigerian public discourse often makes complex political analysis look simple and simple political analysis look complex. And finally, we end up achieving no political analysis at all.

Twitter: @AmirAbdulazeez.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Armed thugs have assaulted and restrained officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State in the 2023 general elections, Siminialayi Fubara.

The incident that surprised many took place Tuesday at the Port Harcourt International Airport when Fubara, alongside other PDP chieftains, arrived at the airport from Abuja.

The Daily Reality gathered that Fubara jetted to Abuja to receive his certificate of return alongside some of the PDP chieftains. 

The thugs, who were believed to be his supporters, reportedly thwarted the EFCC officials from arresting him.

The EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the operatives of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the EFCC were restrained from arresting Fubara.

Uwujaren condemned the development, describing it as a blatant attempt to obstruct justice.

He, however, warned that the commission’s civility should not be taken for granted. 

The Daily Reality recalls that the EFCC had declared Fubara wanted over alleged N117 billion fraud.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, is reportedly holding a closed door meeting with the governors of the party in Abuja.

This is however coming not long after the former Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was announced winner as presidential candidate in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) primaries took place last night.

It was gathered the isses to be discussed include strategies of the presidential campaign with the view to uproot the APC from power in the 2023 general election.

The Daily Reality learnt that some of the governors at the meeting were Samuel Ortom, Sokoto state Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his Oyo state counterpart Seyi Makinde.

Others were said to have been Bayelsa Governor, Douyi Diri, Bauchi Governor, Bala Muhammed, Rivers Nyesom Wike, and that of Benue.

All these are coming as preparations towards the 2023 general election, with all the candidates from different parties trying to emerge winners as the time is due.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu, has been declared the winner of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential primary election. 

APC held a special convention between 6 to 8 of June 2022 to elect the ruling party’s presidential candidate.

Tinubu emerged as the APC candidate at the end of the presidential primary after polling about 60% of the 2300 votes. 

He defeated his closest rivals, Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Chibueke Amaechi, to clinch the ruling party’s ticket.

Tinubu is expected to face the candidate of the country’s major opposition party, Atiku Abubakar, and others in the 2023 general election.

By Muhammad Aminu

Bandits-cum-terrorists have killed at least three people in Gayawa village of Bukuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

They also kidnapped 23 people from Gayawa village and two other villages of Takalafiya and Kairu.

The attack was reported to have taken place in the early hours of Tuesday, June 7, 2022.

A Village head from one of the affected areas who did not want his name mentioned told The Daily Reality that the attack had displaced many villagers.

“We are restless and have been turned into displaced persons by the Dogo Gudale’s terror camp who attacked us today and kidnapped our 23 youths between the age of 19 and 35 years.”

He said the terrorists have moved them into their den to farm for them and expose them to other inhumane labour. 

“This has been his usual cruelty to our people. This is why my people ran away from the village to escape being kidnapped, killed, molested or held for ransom,” the monarch said.  

Twenty-two-year-old Balki Adamu, whose husband was among those abducted, expressed fear that the terrorists may demand ransom to release her husband. 

“My greatest fear is that the terrorists should not ask for ransom because we have no money and no assets to sell out for his freedom,” she said.

A member representing Bukuyum South at the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Sani Dahiru, told journalists that activities of terror groups had made seven villages in Kyaram Ward under his Constituency unaccessible. 

He said: “Zamfara State Government, in synergy with Nigeria’s security agencies, are tirelessly working hard to end the scourge of the insecurity affecting the areas.”

“As you might have been briefed on the situation in the affected areas, Zamfara State Commissioner for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs has already put everything in place to respond to the IDPs’ immediate need.”

Police Public Relations Officer in Zamfara State, Mohammed Shehu, told our reporter, “the Command is presently contacting its sources in Bukuyum LGA for quick response to the latest security breaches in the areas.”

By Abdulrahman Yunusa 

As far as democracy is concerned, Nigeria would forever be governed by Northerners, either directly or indirectly. Not because they are politically astute better than the rest, but quite sure because of the large number of voters they have at their disposal.

As they say, democracy is the game of numbers. Thanks to years of political games, any living soul can attest to this assertion in Nigeria. The North has ever been topping the rest of the regions in numbers. Despite the problems bedevilling the northern part, the permutations often favour them in politics. 

It’s either us or anyone that we choose to side with. History is with us, and we can peruse through it and grapple with the meaning of the mighty political North. Perhaps we may have bad political players or actors in the regions, but despite that, our interest and relevance becloud that of anyone.

Therefore, at this moment, you can campaign against any Northern candidate, but be wary of going too far, for you can’t make it singlehandedly without these “vote banks”. So while criticizing the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar or Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in favour of Peter Obi or whatever candidate you may wish to side with, don’t scold the North harshly because they are determinants of your fate politically.

However, in the quest for fairness and justice in politics, I can see nothing wrong with anyone clamouring for zoning or power shift/rotation among the six geopolitical zones we have because that’s the only way to tame the issues of marginalization and Islamization agendas.

Thus, to make the North an object of ridicule for the political loggerhead you have with any other northern candidate is akin to political hara-kiri, if not a hurricane. That action would consume you and the region you are backing because the North can do without you and choose to go side-by-side with other regions.

Northerners might be an epicentre of poverty, illiteracy and crisis for quite some years. Still, denying them one thing they are the best at, meaning “politics”, is absolutely a great injustice to one conscience. 

Hence, Northerners have championed that cause over the years at any length. Taking this credit away from them overnight will be challenging for one to achieve. To say the North is indispensable in the realm of Nigeria is an utter understatement.

You are free to endorse anyone of your kinsmen – be it Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo or whatever you like to choose but make sure your political calculations cut across the broader areas.

We pray to have someone who can unite, restore, develop, and uplift the country. Someone who can be a source of prosperity and national progress is all the eye and yearn as a president. So let’s shun the question of sentimentalism and regionalism and put Nigeria’s image into concern.

May Nigeria and Nigerians win at last, amin.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Former Governor of Borno State and Director General of Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s Campaign Organization, Senator Kashim Shettima, has tendered his heartfelt apology to Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan. 

Shettima posted the apology on Facebook on Sunday, June 5, 2022, where he stated that his comments on the VP and Senate President were taken out of context and overblown. 

In an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, Shettima compared the VP’s nice demeanour to an ice-cream seller and Ahmad Lawan’s name to a tomato seller.

“My assessments of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, were well-intentioned. I never set out to subject them to ridicule but, rather, to stir up interest in the contrasting virtues of the cast of aspirants putting up a fight against my preferred aspirant, one most favoured and advantaged to guarantee APC’s victory in the forthcoming presidential election. 

“The interpretations of my remarks on Professor Osinbajo and Senator Lawan are, thus, being done literally and overblown. My words weren’t woven to portray them as unworthy aspirants but merely to qualify them as non-threatening contenders.

“I, however, take full responsibility for my utterances and wish to appeal to our teeming supporters to neither take my words out of their metaphoric contexts nor interpret them as a measure and declaration of hostility towards my dear friends and allies.

“I hereby tender my unreserved apologies to the Vice President and the President of the Senate for the unintended pains my jibes might have caused them and their families and supporters.” The statement reads in part. 

Shettima then urges different All Progressives Congress camps to be united, as the journey to the general election is about to start.