2023: Shettima Defends Muslim-Muslim Ticket, Says Tinubu Won’t Islamize Nigeria

Kashim Shettima, the running mate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, says there is no plan to Islamize Nigeria.

Shettima Defends Muslim-Muslim Ticket With Tinubu

The former Borno governor spoke on Friday when he received a visit from an APC group led by a former Nigerian ambassador to the US, Mohammed Hassan.

KanyiDaily recalls that Bola Tinubu had picked his fellow Muslim, Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

Reacting to outrage trailing the Muslim-Muslim ticket, Shettima said Nigerians should look beyond religion when electing leaders, adding that there is no plan by Tinubu to Islamise the country.

Shettima said if Tinubu has not made any attempt to enforce his religion on his wife, to whom he has been married for 40 years, it’ll be impossible for him to attempt such on a national scale.

He expressed regrets over Nigerians’ fixation on religion while the rest of the world had gone past religious sentiments, hence the need for the country to focus on moving to the industrial age.

“I feel highly honoured and am delighted to receive you in my humble abode, the world is changing, the world has moved from agricultural age to industrial age.

“And now we are in the knowledge driven age, in other clans, people are talking of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and quick data and of artificial intelligence.

“While we are busy here talking about headsmen, farmers/herders clash, rural banditry, kidnapping and battling with Boko Haram and talking about religious mix.

“The task before us is to transform this nation into a just and fair society where everyone will have a sense of belonging. We should learn to accommodate and embrace each other,’’ he said.

Shettima said that the Muslim-Muslim ticket had more to do with the desire to provide quality leadership to Nigerians than any religious sentiment.

He said, “I want to reassure Nigerians that; they are accusing him of an attempt to Islamising the country, has he started with Islamising his own family.

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yes, his Vice-Presidential running mate might be a Muslim, but his life mate for over 40 year is not only a Christian, but a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

“He did not enforce his own Islamic faith on his own children, he was the first governor to hand-over mission schools to the owners, and he has groomed people from all walks of life.

“One of his Commissioners while he was governor of Lagos State, was from Katsina State and another one was from Delta, he also had a special adviser of an Igbo extraction.”

He added, “I think we have to look at the larger picture; the task before us is to transform this nation into a just and fair society where everyone will have a sense of belonging. We are a kaleidoscope of colours; we should learn to accommodate and embrace each other.”

KanyiDaily recalls that Kashim Shettima had said that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi cannot win the 2023 general elections.