BREAKING: Tinubu officially unveils Shettima as running mate amidst backlashes

As the 2023 presidential election gathers steam, Bola Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, has been officially presented to the hierarchy of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The event was reportedly held on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

It comes one week after the former governor of Lagos State picked the ex-Borno governor as his running mate.

his decision has been met with various reactions, however, the backlashes of going with the muslim-muslim ticket took over the news headlines.

The APC Muslim youths has rejected the choice of Senator Shettima as the running mate to APC presidential candidate.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, also faulted the announcement of a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC, describing the decision as a “disastrous error.”

Opposition candidate, Abubakar Atiku, urged Nigerians to shun ‘exclusionist politics’, adding that the country had seen the worst shade of exclusionist politics and the road ahead is the path of inclusive and unifying politics.

Nollywood actor Kenneth Okonkwo resigned his membership from the APC, citing the decision of the ruling party to field a Muslim-Muslim presidential candidate for the 2023 elections as a major reason for his resignation.

On the flip side, controversial Businessman and Politician, Adamu Garba returned to the APC because of the muslim-muslim ticket decision.

While Nigerians raised fears of religious bigotism, Senator Shettima, in defence of his principal and himself, dismissed notions that Tinubu has an islamisation agenda.

Throwing weight in for the muslim-muslim ticket decision, Festus Keyamo said Nigerians have nothing to worry about, as Tinubu has been married to Christian and pastor for roughly four decades.

Few things to know about Shettima...

Shettima served as Governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019.

He graduated from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Ibadan (UI). After schooling, he entered business and banking, eventually rising to hold several high-ranking executive positions at banks.

By the mid-2000s, Shettima was the manager of Zenith Bank’s Maiduguri office before leaving the position to enter the state cabinet of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff in 2007.

After four years in the cabinet, he was elected governor in 2011 and re-elected by a wider margin in 2015; his term in office was dominated by the deadly Boko Haram insurgency. Shettima was later elected to the senate.

Despite being renominated for Senate in 2023, he withdrew from the nomination to become Tinubu’s running mate.