The Office of the Vice President has clarified comments made by Vice President Kashim Shettima regarding the role northern governors played in President Bola Tinubu’s rise to the APC presidential ticket, saying the remarks were being misread.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima’s reference to six northern governors who backed Tinubu was specifically about political consultations that took place ahead of the APC presidential primary in June 2022 and was not a commentary on the broader support of northern APC governors afterward.
The statement said the remarks were not intended to question the support northern governors gave during the 2023 general election.
It noted that after Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate, APC governors across the North rallied behind him and played key roles in the campaign that led to his victory.
It added that their early declaration for Tinubu had in fact become a turning point that drew governors from other regions to align behind his candidacy.
The Vice President’s office said Shettima holds northern governors and other APC leaders in high regard and recognises their contributions to the party’s success and to Tinubu’s emergence as president.
It said Shettima regretted any interpretation suggesting otherwise and hoped the clarification would place his earlier comments in proper context.
The statement also thanked the Nigerian media for its professionalism and called for continued accuracy in reporting public remarks as the country heads into a new political season.
