I would like to begin by giving thanks to Almighty Allah for His infinite mercies, for granting us life and good health to witness this Grand Reception and Celebration of the renomination of His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces as his running mate for the 2027 Presidential Election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
When the organizers of this occasion invited me to speak on the theme: “Celebrating the Re-nomination of Vice President Kashim Shettima”, I accepted the invitation unreservedly without a second thought even in the face of personal heavy grief, having lost my beloved wife, Dr Fatima, on Wednesday, 1st July, 2026. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace in Jannatul Firdausi, Amin. I deemed it an obligation and indeed an honour to be here to lend my voice to this celebration of competence, loyalty, intelligence, political wisdom and continuity.
I would like to express profound gratitude to members of the Tinubu/Shettima Continuity Forum, for inviting me as Guest Speaker at this forum. I have no doubts in my mind that this gathering reflects the feelings of most people here in Borno State, as well as most parts of Northern Nigeria. We can also add that people in different parts of the country are also connected in their hearts with the reason that we have all gathered here today.
I am truly humbled and deeply grateful for the recognition. It is therefore with immense delight and a deep sense of personal fulfillment that I stand before you today to speak, given my long-standing and close personal relationship with Senator Kashim Shettima. I stand before you today to join you in celebrating not just a political decision by Mr President but also a statesman’s decision by a master strategist.
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When the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) submitted the nomination form of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, as the running mate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, last week, they actually reflected the yearnings of the majority of members of the party. They also reflected the political acumen of President Bola Tinubu. By upholding Vice President Kashim Shettima on the joint ticket which had won the 2023 elections, the APC showed that it was determined, not just to win the 2027 elections, but more fundamentally, it was committed to deepening the development process in Nigeria, which has been at the heart of the “Renewed Hope” agenda in the past three years.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to retain Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate for the 2027 General Elections is a decision grounded in wisdom, experience, and foresight. The great philosopher Aristotle taught us that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. The Tinubu/Shettima ticket is, indeed, proof of this. It is not just two names on a ballot. It is a partnership that has been tested by the hard work of nation-building.
We are therefore delighted that Vice President Kashim Shettima will be returning to the heart of governance with President Bola Tinubu, after winning the 2027 elections. Why is that important? Well, Vice President Kashim Shettima has positioned himself with so much commitment and passion, not only as a Vice-President, but also as the chief salesman of the programmes and processes of the Tinubu Administration.
I recall that one of the finest moments of the Vice-President was at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York. I was privileged to be in New York with my late wife, Dr Fatima (May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace in Jannatul Firdausi, Amin) at that time and I must say that I have never been prouder to be a Nigerian than I was on that day.
Before the assembly of world leaders, Vice President Kashim Shettima represented his “Boss” as he often and humbly calls him, with grace and distinction. At such an important global event, he spoke eloquently. His delivery was assured, his message was clear and his speech was exceptionally well received by world leaders.
The finesse, the demeanor and the statesmanship on display were truly remarkable and first class. That moment clearly told the world what we already know: Nigeria has a Vice-President who can stand on any global stage and represent us with pride and honour. By doing so, he has also given a hint of what his “Boss” was made up. As the saying goes; the ear does not grow beyond the head.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is that ever-present face and voice of the Tinubu-Administration, who explains with remarkable competence, the true directions of the various programmes of the administration, which might not often be very clear to the Nigerian people. It is that clarity of thought and vision that Vice President Kashim Shettima brings to his place on behalf of the Tinubu administration that has won the hearts of party members and the Nigerian people alike.
Edmund Burke, the father of modern conservatism, said:
“A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation”. The announcement by President Tinubu of retaining Senator Shettima is that wise change. APC is indeed conserving competence. APC is also conserving stability. APC is surely conserving the mandate that over eight (8) million Nigerians gave the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in 2023. APC knows that this is not a mere balancing act, but a cool-headed calculation whose parameters are acceptability, competence, effectiveness and loyalty.
It is pleasing to note that the APC is steadfastly serious about the future of Nigeria. By retaining this tested ticket, the party has shown that it is not gambling with the destiny of 220 million Nigerians. Confucius, a Chinese Philosopher and teacher said, “To be able under all circumstances to practice gravity, generosity, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness constitutes perfect virtue”.
In the last three (3) years, Nigerians have seen these virtues in Senator Shettima. From the North East to the Niger Delta, from the Council Chambers to International engagements, he has represented this administration with dignity and marvelous results. It is also that ability built upon a very honest commitment, genuine loyalty, and unalloyed commitment to the vision of President Bola Tinubu, that eventually cleared all doubts about his position. This is the very heartwarming basis of his renomination as the running mate of President Bola Tinubu, for the 2027 general elections.
Perhaps, it is important to point out commentaries by two renowned journalists with impeccable character and integrity before and immediately after the announcement of the nomination of Senator Shettima as running mate to underscore the correctness of his choice by President Tinubu. Simon Kolawole said “It would seem retaining the Vice-President is an unwritten code. That is why it will look odd if Shettima is dropped”.
In his usually well-written article after the announcement of Senator Shettima as running mate titled “With Shettima, APC Dodged the Bullet, my very good friend, Mahmud Jega posited that “So, the ruling APC has now navigated through all the traps and settled for Kashim Shettima, who has many other qualities apart from preventing a massive exodus of votes.
According to Jega he is “deeply intellectual, a bookworm and former University Lecturer. He had a lot of experience as former top Zenith Banker, State Commissioner in four different Ministries, two term Governor and one term Senator, not to mention Vice-President for four years. Most other Political Parties will be at their wit’s end to find similar quality”.
Undoubtedly, His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima, is a man of many accomplishments. His life story is a testimony to the profound influence that education, hard work, and the drive to serve the people can have in the blossoming of transformational leadership.
Senator Shettima rose from a very humble background to considerably enviable heights in Borno State and indeed in Nigeria. He has contributed profoundly to the development, progress and peace of human society in both the private and public sectors throughout his successful career in the academia, banking sector and politics. He is widely adored for his remarkable integrity, intelligence, political astuteness and pragmatism.
Senator Shettima has been contributing tremendously to nation building in many capacities as talented University Lecturer, successful Bank Executive, Commissioner in the Borno State Executive Council in charge of four key Ministries, two-term Executive Governor of Borno State, Distinguished Senator and now Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as pointed out by Mahmud Jega.
Senator Shettima has carved a niche for himself in politics and Administration as well as provided exceptional leadership in all these positions, which were achieved by dint of hard work, perseverance, ingenuity and determination. Undoubtedly, Senator Shettima represents values worthy of emulation by the younger generation. He epitomizes hard work, resilience, brilliance and honesty.
Members of the Tinubu/Shettima Continuity Forum and indeed all reasonable Nigerians therefore have a genuine reason to celebrate this renomination. You are celebrating the affirmation of Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s place within the Nigerian Presidential System, as an important node of power. More importantly, you are showing affection to a leader who has always represented his people in Borno, in the Northeast, and all of Northern Nigeria, with utmost sincerity and genuine affection.
Indeed, Vice President Kashim Shettima is our own, and we are very pleased that he has been renominated to run with President Bola Tinubu. It is a show of confidence; it is a mark of gratitude; and it is a story of one good turn deserving another one. Vice President Kashim Shettima has shown, from the moment that he was sworn in, in 2023, that he is loyally committed to the very best of the Tinubu Administration.
So, as we gather to celebrate this renomination, let us remember that there’s still a lot ahead of us. Let us use this opportunity of our happiness about the renomination to remind the powers that be, that our people here in Borno, in the Northeast, and in the whole of Northern Nigeria, are holding on with great anticipation to “Renewed Hope”; a “renewed hope” of renewed commitment to find solutions to the problems of insecurity, underdevelopment, and poverty, in our region.
We are hoping that the renomination will trigger commitment to solving issues of the out of school children; it will translate to economic empowerment for the teeming army of unemployed youth; it will be a renomination of finding ways to deepen the place of women in the economy, and finally, it will be a renomination of commitment to bringing warring communities together in the search for long lasting solutions.
It is this kind of commitment to the welfare of our people that will make that renomination of Vice President Kashim Shettima, as worthy and as hopeful as we all feel. May Allah make it easy for the Tinubu administration to see through its promises to the Nigerian people. May Allah deepen the commitment of Vice President Kashim Shettima, to the development of our State, region and country. Amin.
In conclusion, we must also commend the role of His Excellency, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, MNSE, CON, mni, the Executive Governor of Borno State. For openly standing with the Vice-President, his brother and boss when some individuals sought to deny him due recognition during the North East endorsement of President Tinubu in Gombe.
At this moment of political distraction in Gombe, Professor Zulum chose loyalty. His vehement rejection of that attempt has no doubt largely contributed to the decision to renominate Senator Shettima. We must also not forget the role played by the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Honourable Abdulkarim Lawan at a meeting of APC stakeholders held in Maiduguri, when the picture of the Vice-President was conspicuously missing. He also spoke against it vehemently. We commend the courage of these two political leaders from Borno State.
Finally, I commend the organizers of this important event. Congratulations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his wisdom! Congratulations to Senator Kashim Shettima for earning the trust of Mr. President again!! And congratulations to the All Progressives Congress for choosing stability over gambling and disaster!!!
I thank you all for your kind attention.
- Professor Liberty, (Ph.D., FIMC, CMC, SFIPMA, NPAS, SSCN, ECRTD, UK) is a Lecturer and Public Affairs Analyst at the Faculty Of Management Sciences, Department of Public Administration, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria.