Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday took a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, reminding him that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave him political refuge and a platform to contest the presidency after he fell out with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2007.
Speaking at the flag-off of the APC presidential campaign in Kaduna, Shettima said Tinubu had consistently supported northern politicians over the years and therefore deserved the region’s backing for a second term.
The vice president said claims that Tinubu does not like the North were unfounded, citing the president’s role in supporting Atiku, who is also the presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), former presidential candidate Nuhu Ribadu and late President Muhammadu Buhari at different times.
“President Tinubu is one person who has fiercely identified with the North over the years,” Shettima said.
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“It is pertinent to mention that when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was harassed and chased out of the PDP in 2007, he ran to the Lion of Bourdillon, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who gave him political succour, support and a platform to contest for the presidency.”
Shettima also recalled that Tinubu backed Ribadu’s presidential ambition in 2011 and later played a key role in Buhari’s victories in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
The Vice President said the APC’s appeal to northern voters was not based on sentiment but on the administration’s record in office.
According to him, the Tinubu government has invested in education through the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, the upgrade of the Federal University of Education, Zaria, and funding for the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He also highlighted progress recorded on major infrastructure projects, including the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, Kano-Maradi railway, Lagos-Kano rail corridor, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway.
“We have built a record of continuing projects initiated by our predecessors, and that is why substantial progress has been recorded on these strategic projects,” he said.
Also speaking, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, defended Tinubu against allegations that he is unfavourable to northern interests.
Yari challenged critics to explain why the North should not support the president, arguing that Tinubu had repeatedly sacrificed personal ambition to support northern politicians.
“In 2007, when Atiku was chased out of the PDP, Tinubu gave him a platform. In 2011, he supported our son, Nuhu Ribadu, even though he could have contested himself. In 2015, he supported Buhari to victory.
“Today, what evidence do we have not to support him for a second term?” he asked.
Yari expressed confidence that Tinubu would secure re-election, saying the president’s record and longstanding relationship with the North would work in his favour at the polls.
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