Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar turned to President Bola Tinubu for political support after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), recalling how Tinubu provided him with a platform to contest the 2007 presidential election.
Shettima made the remarks on Saturday during the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign in Kaduna, where he urged northern Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Shettima argued that Tinubu’s history of supporting northern politicians seeking the presidency demonstrated his commitment to the region and justified continued political loyalty from northern voters.
He cited Tinubu’s support for Atiku in 2007, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu in 2011, and former President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
According to the vice president, Tinubu’s political alliances with prominent northern leaders established him as a dependable ally whose contributions should be recognised as the ruling party prepares for the next general election.
“It is pertinent to mention that when our former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, was harassed and chased out of the PDP, with his tail between his legs, he ran to the Lion of Bourdillon, who gave him political succour and support and a platform to contest for the presidency of this country in 2007,” he said.
He maintained that the president’s political sacrifices and longstanding relationships with northern leaders provided sufficient grounds for the region to support his second-term ambition, describing such backing as a matter of honour, loyalty and appreciation.
The vice president also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, insisting that the government had kept Nigeria together despite predictions that its reforms would lead to economic collapse.
Shettima attributed the administration’s survival of economic pressures to cooperation among political leaders and the determination to protect national stability. He thanked supporters for maintaining confidence in the government, saying collective efforts had helped the country withstand difficult circumstances.
“We were able to keep this country together and defy the predictions of those who had predicted the implosion of our economy because we worked together,” he said.
Reflecting on the 2023 presidential election, Shettima argued that voters chose Tinubu because they believed the alternatives posed a greater risk to the country. He urged Nigerians to renew their support for the APC, insisting that the party had demonstrated its ability to govern and deliver development.
The Vice President also praised Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani for promoting unity and development across communities previously divided along regional lines. He urged residents to support a second term for both Tinubu and Sani, presenting their administrations as a continuation of the APC’s development agenda.
Shettima highlighted educational initiatives, including the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, the transition of the Federal College of Education, Zaria, to university status, and vocational training centres in Rigachikun, Soba and Samaru Kataf, which he said had produced more than 4,000 graduates.
He also cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as an intervention supporting students in tertiary institutions and dismissed claims that the Federal Government had neglected Northern Nigeria.
Among the infrastructure projects he listed were the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, Kano-Maradi Railway, Lagos-Kano Rail Corridor, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road and Sokoto-Badagry Highway. He said the administration was continuing projects inherited from previous governments to improve transportation, energy supply and economic activities across the region.
