Reactions have greeted the choice of Sen Kashim Shettima as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu announced Shettima, on Sunday, as his running mate, in Daura, Katsina state shortly after paying a Sallah visit to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Shettima is a Senator representing Borno Central District in the nation’s Upper Chamber. He was a two-term governor in Borno state.
His emergence as Tinubu’s running mate has ignited a debate in the social media especially on Twitter where some quarters believe the APC national leader has shot himself in the leg for choosing another Muslim as his vice, known as a Muslim-Muslim ticket in Nigeria’s politics.
The argument on Twitter flawed Tinubu’s audacity to opt for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, a move his two major challengers in the next year’s presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) flag bearers, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively avoided, in their bid to win the hearts of Nigerians at the polls.
While some tweeps raised the issue that Chibok girls were kidnapped under Shettima’s watch as a governor in terrorism-laden Borno state in 2014, others concluded that former Lagos governor’s decision as left them with two options of Atiku and Obi in the presidential race.
Below are a few of Nigerians’ reactions on Twitter:
@firstladyship tweeted: “Tinubu
According to @nigeriasbest, “It was Shettima alongside Lamido Sanusi who said that the Niger Delta receiving 13% was one of the causes of Boko-Haram…If you elect divisive characters, volenti non fit injuria…”
“This same Shettima was governor when the Chibok girls were kidnapped. This is the governor that despite the warnings of @GEJonathan (former President Goodluck Jonathan) that no exams should take place, he still went ahead with the exams and #Chibokgirls got missing. This is the person @officialABAT (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu) wants as vice,” @thebardogbamola reacted.
@ayemojubar said: “Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket with Shettima will influence the decisions of at least 5% of voters in the coming election. Nobody plans to make 2023 election religion based, but the fear (of) Islamisation agenda which Buhari started is becoming too real and too scary.”
“You can insult me because I said no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket or not in support of Shettima,” @NabirAbduls said. “I really don’t care about insults. I have a bright future ahead of me and I have Peter Obi who got my interest and that of every Nigerian at heart…”
@biodunalexa tweeted: “Tinubu running a Muslim-Muslim ticket by choosing Shettima is his choice. He believes Muslims alone in the SW & the North can give him his Victory. Nigeria finally belongs to Muslims alone according to APC. Everyone vote your choice. Thank God there is a third candidate in Obi.”
@edwardessien asserted: “With Tinubu/APC choosing Shettima on the Muslim Muslim ticket, the race is now between Peter Obi and Atiku. Peter Obi will be President 2023. Bookmark this!”