Some governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are said to be dissatisfied with the selection of Ex-Borno Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate to APC Presidential flagbearer Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Governors are expected to meet with President Buhari today in Daura to formally register their displeasure before deciding their next step.
Tinubu had long submitted a list of potential running mates to Buhari, on which Buhari had refused to act. He then took the initiative because the deadline is Friday, July 15, and formally announced Shettima before the deadline.
The announcement sparked a squabble within the party, as some of the governors who worked tirelessly to ensure Tinubu won the ticket saw his manner of breaking the news as ‘arrogant’ and in violation of the agreement he had with them.
To that end, the governors, the majority of whom were from the North West, did not object to Shettima’s selection, but rather to Tinubu’s disregard for all the agreements they had reached in order to announce the name.
The Governors and Tinubu were said to be in constant “back and forth” over who would be his running mate. They had begun to consider pandering to Tinubu because his sentiments appealed to Shettima.
To accomplish this, the governors were said to have agreed with Tinubu that the unveiling would take place with them present to demonstrate consent and agreement.
However, declaring as if they didn’t matter in the equation, especially since some of them were uncomfortable with the Muslim-Muslim concept, infuriated them.
Aside from the governors, Senator Abbo of Adamawa, who was on some of Tinubu’s support groups and committees, sent out a scathing message in which he expressed his disappointment in Tinubu for defying popular opinion by running on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Abbo, who promised to formally submit his resignation letters today, stated that if Tinubu refused to listen to counsel as an ordinary citizen, he would be worse as president, and subsequently resigned his membership in all committees.
On Sunday night, another top party member, Daniel Bwala, resigned over the ‘Muslim-Muslim’ ticket saga.
“Tonight, I officially resigned my membership of @OfficialAPCng on principles and conviction that I hold so dear,” Bwala wrote on social media. At this point in our nation’s history, our efforts and energy should be directed toward uniting our people.”
