Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday disclosed that only six of the North’s 19 Governors backed President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid, highlighting lingering regional divisions that shadowed the election and the administration’s political consolidation efforts.
Speaking at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate, Shettima described the episode as a lesson in leadership and reconciliation.
He said opposition within the region did not dissuade President Tinubu from pressing forward.
“You all know that we have 19 states in the North. Out of these, only six actually believed and supported Tinubu,” Shettima said, singling out former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and Governor AbdulRazaq, and declining to name others to “avoid controversy.”
“But the Governors that were supporting President Tinubu in the North were not more than six. However, Tinubu refused to be deterred. He was able to cross the road.”
Vice President Shettima urged politicians to treat electoral competition as temporary and avoid permanent ruptures.
He cited Tinubu’s post-election outreach to northern Governors who had opposed him as emblematic of effective leadership.
“After the 2023 election, President Tinubu hugged and forgave all other northern Governors that did not support him. That is a mark of a good leader,” he said.
The Vice President defended the administration’s handling of the nation’s difficult economic inheritance, saying the government moved to implement reforms rather than assign blame.
He told the gathering that the government assumed office with roughly $3.9 billion on hand and decided to press an economic reform agenda.
Shettima also praised former President Muhammadu Buhari’s negotiation style, saying it influenced President Tinubu’s political approach.
The turbaning ceremony, which the Ilorin palace said confers a traditional chieftaincy title that strengthens ties between the Governor’s family and the emirate, drew a wide array of dignitaries.
Among those on hand were Niger State Governor Umar Bago, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma, and the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli.
Deputy Governors from Sokoto, Anambra, Nasarawa, Delta, Ondo and Oyo states also attended.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Shettima inaugurated the Kwara State Revenue House on Ahmadu Bello Way and opened a garment factory in Ilorin. The Matawali of Ilorin, Dr. Alimi AbdulRazaq, called the Sardauna title “well deserved” and urged the Governors to use it to deliver more development across the State.
