‘Spirit of 1993 is upon us,’ Tinubu defends choice of Muslim running mate

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, on Sunday evening explained why he picked the former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate in the 2023 election.

The former Lagos State governor announced Shettima as his running mate after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, on Sunday.

In a statement he personally signed, the APC candidate stated that in choosing the former governor, he put national growth and development ahead of religious feelings.

After securing the APC presidential nomination on June 8, Tinubu was responding to the discussion surrounding his potential running mate.

Numerous Nigerians, especially in the South of the country, had advised the ruling party against running a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the upcoming election.

He emphasised how well-qualified the former governor was to lead the APC to victory in 2023.

The APC presidential candidate recalled that Nigerians accepted the late Chief MKO Abiola despite his selection of a Muslim running mate in the June 12, 1993 election, regarded as the fairest and fairest poll in the history of the country.

The statement read: “The spirit of 1993 is upon us again in 2023.

“I have never been an indecisive man and have no present intention to become one.

“Having now listened to the sage, careful advice of a broad section of the party and of the nation, there are a few points I feel I must make about the exceptional and extraordinary person with whom I will share the APC ticket and the principles of open and good governance that informed this choice.

“I am mindful of the energetic discourse concerning the possible religion of my running mate. Just and noble people have talked to me about this. Some have counselled that I should select a Christian to please the Christian community. Other have said I should pick a Muslim to appeal to the Muslim community. Clearly, I cannot do both.

“Both sides of the debate have impressive reasons and passionate arguments supporting their position. Both arguments are right in their own way. But neither is right in the way that Nigeria needs at the moment. As president, I hope to govern this nation toward uncommon progress. This will require innovation. It will require steps never before taken. It will also require decisions that are politically difficult and rare.

“If I am to be that type of President, I must begin by being that type of candidate. Let me make the bold and innovative decision not to win political points but to move the nation and our party’s campaign closer to the greatness that we were meant to achieve.

“Today, I announce my selection with pride because I have made it not based on religion or to please one community or the other. I made this choice because I believe this is the man who can help me bring the best governance to all Nigerians, period, regardless of their religious affiliation or considerations of ethnicity or region.”