The Office of the Vice President has clarified remarks made by Vice President Kashim Shettima regarding the support President Bola Tinubu received from Northern governors ahead of his emergence as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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In a statement issued by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the office explained that Shettima’s reference to six Northern governors who backed Tinubu was specifically about political consultations and alignments that preceded the APC presidential primary in June 2022.
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The statement said the remarks were not intended as a comment on the position of Northern APC governors following Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate, nor as a suggestion that they did not support him during the 2023 presidential election. It noted that after the primary, APC governors across the North rallied around the party’s candidate and played significant roles in the campaign and electoral effort that culminated in Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election.
According to the statement, Shettima holds the Northern governors and other APC leaders in high regard and recognises their individual and collective contributions to the party’s success and to Tinubu’s emergence as its candidate. It added that the Vice President regrets any interpretation of his remarks suggesting otherwise and hopes the clarification places his comments in proper context.
The statement further noted that Shettima appreciates the Nigerian media for what it described as longstanding professionalism and constructive engagement with his office, and urged continued accuracy and context in the reporting of public remarks as the country approaches another political season.
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