Only Six Northern Governors Supported Tinubu In 2023, Shettima Says

Only Six Northern Governors Supported Tinubu in 2023, Shettima Says Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that only six of the 19 northern governors supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential ambition during the 2023 election. Shettima made the disclosure on Wednesday at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate. According to the Vice President, the political tension surrounding Tinubu’s campaign and the 2023 presidential election was significant, with several obstacles placed in the path of the eventual APC candidate. Shettima said it took determination for Tinubu to continue pursuing his presidential ambition despite the limited support he received from northern governors. He said only six of the 19 northern governors “actually believed and supported Tinubu,” although he declined to name all of them. Shettima mentioned former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq among those who supported Tinubu. He said he would refrain from naming the other governors to avoid controversy. At the time of the 2023 presidential election, the northern states were politically divided between the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, with the APC controlling 14 of the 19 northern states and the PDP controlling five, according to contemporary election records. Reflecting on the period, the Vice President said the political environment surrounding the campaign was difficult but Tinubu continued with his ambition. Shettima also said Tinubu later forgave northern political figures who had opposed his presidential bid, describing the gesture as part of his approach to political reconciliation. Tinubu went on to win the February 2023 presidential election, according to the official result cited by multiple reports, securing 8,794,726 votes ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Shettima’s remarks also came with an appeal for politicians to move beyond divisions created during election contests. The Vice President urged political actors to view elections as contests that should not permanently damage relationships, emphasising reconciliation after political competition.