Tinubu, Shettima and the spirit of June 12

At last,the presidential candidate of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has settled for Senator Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno State as his running mate.  The decision of Tinubu to pick Kashim Shettima was borne out of his qualities and leadership style when he governed Borno State. The nomination of Shettima was greeted with mixed reactions […]

At last,the presidential candidate of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has settled for Senator Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno State as his running mate.  The decision of Tinubu to pick Kashim Shettima was borne out of his qualities and leadership style when he governed Borno State. The nomination of Shettima was greeted with mixed reactions by Nigerians.  Some political pundits have assumed that Tinubu will select his running mate from North West. That was why the names of El-Rufai and Ganduje were repeatedly mentioned as possible running mates. There were others who waited to see the emergency of a  running mate. Alas,with the selection of Shettima, the many speculations about who will be the running mate have been put to rest. However, beyond his leadership qualities, the choice of Shettima is strategically made to checkmate PDP’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s popularity in the North  East.  By picking  Shettima, the political battleground will now be shifted to North West. No one can deny the fact that  Tinubu controls the politics of South West. He has a brighter chance to win those states. 

In the South East, barring any last minute permutations, the votes will go to Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). The South South is a strong hold of PDP. With the vice presidential position zoned to the Area, PDP will comfortably win those states. The North Central’s votes will be split among the three dominant political parties namely: APC, PDP and LP.  

Despite my empirical analysis of the strength and weakness of these political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections, in politics, nothing is impossible as anything can change within the twinkle of eyes. But the APC’s  Muslim-Muslim ticket has continued to receive a barrage of criticisms from the Christian communities. While voters are at liberty to choose from multiple candidates, religious politics will unarguably shape the 2023 elections. 

Some Nigerians have expressed contrary opinions or views on why Bola picked Shettima, another Kanuri as his running mate. They see the actions as an effort to light the candles of June 12, 1993.

The million naira question begging for an answer: Is Tinubu’s Muslim/Muslim ticket an attempt to right the wrong of June 12 or a grand ploy by APC to use religion in order to remain in power beyond 2023? Looking at the sensitivity of religion flying the same faith ticket in present Nigeria will pose a great danger or affect the fragile peace, unity and corporate existence of the country. Our political elites should educate Nigerians more on why the sudden deviation from the old norms and how the new system will address insecurity, poverty and economic  uncertainty.

 

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua, Kaduna State.