Vice President Kashim Shettima has clarified his recent claim that only six of the 19 northern governors supported President Bola Tinubu, saying the remark referred specifically to political consultations and alignments ahead of the June 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary.
Shettima said his statement was not intended to suggest that only six northern governors supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.
The clarification followed widespread reports of remarks made by the Vice President in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday, where he recounted the political challenges Tinubu faced before securing the APC presidential ticket.
Speaking at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate, Shettima said only six northern governors had initially “believed and supported” Tinubu.
“You all know that we have 19 states in the North. Out of these, only six actually believed and supported Tinubu, but Tinubu refused to be deterred. He was able to cross the road,” Shettima said.
He identified former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and AbdulRazaq among those who backed Tinubu, while declining to name the other governors to avoid controversy.
Shettima also spoke about Tinubu’s reconciliation with governors who had not supported his presidential ambition, saying the President forgave them after the 2023 election.
However, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said the reference to six governors concerned the period before the APC presidential primary.
“The Vice President’s reference to six northern governors who believed in and supported President Tinubu was specifically about political consultations and alignments preceding the APC presidential primary in June 2022,” the statement said.
“It was not a comment on the position of northern APC governors following President Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate, nor was it intended to question their support during the 2023 presidential election.”
According to the Vice President, northern APC governors subsequently rallied behind Tinubu after he secured the party’s presidential ticket and contributed to the campaign that led to his victory in the 2023 presidential election.
“Following the presidential primary, APC governors in the North rallied around the party’s candidate and played important roles in the campaign and electoral efforts that culminated in President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election,” the statement added.
Shettima further argued that the declaration of support by northern governors after the primary helped consolidate broader support for Tinubu across the APC.
He said he held the governors and other party leaders in high regard and recognised their contributions to the APC’s electoral success.
The Vice President expressed regret over interpretations of his original remarks that suggested otherwise.
“The Vice President regrets any interpretation of his remarks that may have suggested otherwise and hopes this clarification places the comments in their proper context,” Nkwocha said.
The clarification comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections, with renewed attention on the alliances and political calculations that shaped Tinubu’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate in 2022 and his subsequent victory in 2023.
