By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Former Governor of Borno State, who currently represents Borno Central in Senate, Kashim Shetima, yesterday said sequence of events in Nigeria’s politics required that the South must produce the next president of Nigeria come 2023.
Shetima stated this while delivering a keynote address at the Support Group Conference for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential project.
The former governor also stated that the APC national leader, Bola Tinubu, is most qualified than any other aspirants jostling for the nation’s number one job, while insisting that the highly reverred national leader of the party deserved to be given the right of first refusal.
In an emotional laden speech full of succinct oratory, Shetima recalled the loyalty, sacrifice and contributions of Asiwaju to the presidential ambition of president Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, stressing that the former Lagos governor stood solidly behind the candidacy of Buhari even when the loyalty of other associates of his were in doubt.
He said, “In 2015, some aspirants with very huge war chest were itching to cling the ticket of the APC, like the rock of gibraltar, Asiwaju and his progressive team stood solidly behind the candidacy of Presidency Muhamadu Buhari. My simple question distinguished ladies and gentlemen is where were the new members of what I call: ‘The Buhari’s Church of Later Days Saints?’ where were they? We knew where there political loyalty lied in that particular convention when President Muhamadu emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC. Where were they?
“Some people say everything goes in politics, not everything goes in politics.We shall have minimal thresholds below which we won’t operate and the irreducible minimum is that after eight years of Presidency in the North, the logic, common sense, equity, justice and fairness demand that power should move to the Southern part of the country and who is better qualified? Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu should be given the choice of first refusal. More than any other person, he has sacrificed more for this democracy, for the APC.
“He is a tested, accomplished and large-hearted leader who has invested his resources in building an extensive network of political mentees who have risen to the pick of their careers. He’s a leader of leaders. A mentor who has mentored some of the best hands in this country. From our erudite Vice President, Osinbajo to Babatunde Fashola our lawyer who has turned into an engineer in the Federal Ministry of Works; Rauf Aregbeshola, Mamora, of course sitted here is James Faleke, Lai Mohammed, Richard Adeniyi Adebayo and to my friend, the Governor of Ekiti State, John Fayemi Kayode. These were members of the Asiwaju team that have excelled and continue to excell.
“He has the capacity to forgive and embrace recalcitrant sons that have returned back to base. A lot of his prodigal children have returned back to his camp and he has embraced them, empower them, and make them have a sense of belonging.”
Also speaking, the Director-General of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Support Group Movement Council and the convener of the delegate Conference, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, urged all support groups spread across the country supporting the Tinubu project to remain focus and continue mobilize the grassroots at the various wards and local government levels.
He said, “All you can do now is when we all go back to our constituencies is to continue, our aggressive political mobilisation based volunteering. We must continue to recruit people. Let’s not just assume with had enough. Let’s continue to recruit people at the state level, the local government level, the ward level and the most important, the electoral unit at the unit level, massive aggressive recruitment and let’s keep these people in the kitty.
“We are millions and millions and millions in numbers supporting Tinubu to continue to focus, I know we have being doing it, but we must be very conscious of that and continue to put in our best to see that we continue to support our Baba, Muhammadu Buhari.”
