Middle Belt Congress urges Kashim Shettima to stand down as Tinubu's running mate

FORMER Borno State governor Senator Kashim Shettima has been advised by the Middle Belt Congress (MBC) to stand down as the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential running mate in the interest of national unity and peace.

In June, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the former Lagos State governor,  emerged as the APC presidential candidate after coasting home in a landslide victory following the party's convention in Abuja. Following his victory, however, he laboured to select a running mate after publicly declaring that he will pick a Christian from the northeast geo-political zone as his deputy.

Eventually, after weeks of prevarication, Asiwaju Tinubu ended up selecting a fellow Muslim in the form of Senator Shettima as his running mate. His choice has polarised the country as the Christian faithful feel highly marginalised, especially in the northeast and north central geo-political zones.

Yesterday, the MBC said that in order to save the APC from what it called impending electoral misfortune in 2023 general elections, Senator Shettima should stand down. MBC leader Bilal Abdullahi, explained that the Muslim-Muslim ticket came with its attendant political baggage. Mr Abdullahi declared that if the APC, as a party, is desirous of making any meaningful impact in the 2023 presidential elections, the party should retrace its steps in the composition of its presidential ticket.

Furthermore, the MBC explained that it believed that the self-confession of love towards the Christian community by Senator Kashim Shettima might be a ruse, adding that his actions of late do not indicate that of a religious tolerant individual. The MBC stated that it was morally unjustifiable for Senator Kashim Shettima to hold onto the vice presidential slot of the APC, saying that such action had heated the polity in ways too numerous to mention.

Mr Abdullahi said: “The incomprehensible fact remains that the leadership of the APC is aware of the threats posed to its electoral success with the Muslim-Muslim ticket, yet, it has remained adamant about the uproar its choice of Muslim-Muslim ticket has elicited in the polity.”

To address the matter, the MBC appealed to Senator Shettima to act with honour by resigning his nomination as the presidential running mate of the APC in the interest of peace and tranquillity. It stated that his nomination had brought about ethnic and religious tension, saying that it remained unacceptable in this critical period of the country’s existence where there are concerted efforts at unifying it along ethnic and religious lines.