10 Northern APC Govs declare support for choice of Shettima as VP candidate

Ten Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have declared support for Senator Kashim Shettima as vice Presidential candidate of the party.

They spoke when they held a closed door meeting with the President Muhammadu Buhari for an hour at his private residence in Daura, Katsina State on Monday.

At the close of their deliberation with Buhari, the governors who spoke to newsmen declared their unalloyed support for Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general election.

The ten Governors included their host, Aminu Masari; Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi); Abubakar Bello ( Niger); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Hope Uzodinma (Imo); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Simon Lalong (Plateau), and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna).

They were led by the Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi state, who said they had come to pay Sallah homage to President Buhari.

All but El- Rufai, had travelled by road from Katsina, but he later joined them at the meeting.

The governors drove into the president’s residence at about 1.10pm, shortly after which the meeting commenced, and lasted for about an hour.

They also had lunch with the president shortly after the meeting.

Speaking with reporters, the Governors voiced their support and commemded the choice of Senator Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate.

They also expressed confidence in the combination of both men to ensure victory for the party at the presidential election.

Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Bagudu said, ” We were pleasantly surprised when Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu announced in Daura on Sunday that Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima was the Vice Presidential candidate.

“We were happy that it is no less a person than Senator Shettima who was announced the Vice Presidential candidate. No doubt, Senator Shettima would compliment the good qualities of Asiwaju Tinubu.

“We are very happy at the choice.The two will compliment one another and will surely consolidate on the achievements of the President in the past seven years.”

Also speaking, the Imo state Governor, Uzodinma said Shettima’s choice as Tinubu’s running mate was a collective decision by all the Progressives Governors, and that all the Governors would work hard to ensure victory for the party in next year’s election.

According to him, “The choice of Senator Shettima as the Vice Presidential candidate is a collective decision. We shall work hard to ensure victory in all our states.”

Plateau state Governor, Lalong also reiterated what Uzodinma said: “A Presidential candidate has the prerogative of picking his Vice. But ours is to ensure party’s victory in the Presidential election.”

At about 3.05pm, the governors exchanged plesantries with president Buhari before leaving Daura shortly after