By Emmanuel Nduka
Presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu has named former Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima as his running mate For the 2023 polls.
Tinubu made the announcement on Sunday in Daura, Katsina State, shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari.
His choice has now confirmed the protracted speculation that he was considering a Muslim as his running mate, a decision that could upset the country’s religious balance in top political offices.
A member of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation who requested anonymity, hinted on Sunday to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the APC candidate has chosen a running mate.
The source said Tinubu would make the name of the candidate public in the week.
“The vice-presidential nominee may most likely be a former governor and senator from the northeast of Nigeria.
“The person is also by accident of birth a Muslim, confirming what Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said on Saturday that Tinubu had settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket,’’ the source said.
The source added that in picking the running mate, Tinubu did not consider religion, but the candidate’s competence, exposure, and intellectual depth.
“The considerations given for the choice of a running mate were dictated by the need to choose an individual capable of working with the presidential candidate to take Nigeria to greater heights,’’ the source said.
Tinubu had in mid-June submitted the name of Ibrahim Masari, a Katsina politician, as a placeholder for his running mate to beat the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
