The All Progressives Congress (APC) will unveil Senator Kashim Shettima, the running mate to its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday.
This is coming five days after the ruling party postponed the unveiling with no reason given for the shift in date.
Shettima was meant to have been presented to party members at the APC national Secretariat on July 14, but an APC official told reporters the event has been moved forward.
Tinubu had on July 10 announced the ex-governor and Senator representing Borno Central as his running mate in the 2023 general elections.
Nine days after, the ruling party issued a statement, saying the vice presidential candidate will be unveiled in Abuja.
APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, said the exercise will take place by 1 pm at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in the nation’s capital.
“All members of the National Executive Committee, Progressives Governors’ Forum, APC Caucus in the National Assembly, Federal Executive Council, diplomatic corps and presidential aspirants at the June 2022 Special National Convention, APC state chairmen, secretaries and organising secretaries are hereby invited to witness this landmark official unveiling of our great party’s vice presidential candidate,” the statement read.
Criticisms had trailed the choice of Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate since both candidates are Muslims, having served their respective states as governors.
While Tinubu is from Lagos, the South-Western region of the country, Shettima is from the North-Eastern part of Borno. The ruling party had received backlash from concerned Nigerians, religious leaders, opposition parties and the Christians Association of Nigeria.
Despite the criticism, Tinubu defended his choice of Shettima as his running mate, saying he has gotten the right qualities to move Nigeria forward.
