Vice-President Kashim Shettima has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu entered the 2023 presidential race with the backing of no more than six of the 19 northern governors.
Shettima made the revelation in Ilorin, Kwara State, while speaking at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of the Ilorin Emirate.
According to the Vice-President, Tinubu faced formidable opposition within the North during the fiercely contested presidential election but refused to abandon his ambition.
“You all know that we have 19 states in the North. Out of these, only six actually believed and supported Tinubu,” Shettima said.
He specifically mentioned former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and AbdulRazaq among those who supported Tinubu, but declined to identify the remaining governors, saying he wanted to avoid controversy.
“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,” he said.
Shettima used the experience to urge politicians to distinguish electoral rivalry from lasting personal hostility.
He appealed particularly to politicians in Kwara State to reconcile after the All Progressives Congress primaries, regardless of who emerges victorious.
According to him, political contests should not turn former allies into permanent enemies.
He cited Tinubu’s conduct after the 2023 election as an example, saying the president subsequently reached out to northern governors who had opposed his presidential bid.
“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,” Shettima said.
The Vice-President also called on public officials to approach political power with humility, stressing that no political position is permanent.
He said those who occupy positions of authority would eventually leave office and return to ordinary life.
“Power is given by God to the people He so wishes and not because they are better than other people,” he said.
Shettima also defended the Tinubu administration's economic policies, saying the government chose to confront the country's economic problems rather than spend its time blaming the previous administration.
He said the government inherited about $3.9 billion in its coffers and faced a difficult economic environment when it assumed office.
Despite the challenges, he said Tinubu instructed his economic team to press ahead with its reform programme.
Shettima further linked Tinubu's political style to that of former President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he described as a politician who could not easily be pressured during political negotiations.
The Vice-President was in Kwara as part of a series of official engagements.
Earlier in Ilorin, he inaugurated the Kwara State Revenue House on Ahmadu Bello Way and a garment factory.
He also praised the Emir of Ilorin for honouring AbdulRazaq with the Sardauna title, saying the recognition would strengthen the relationship between the governor's family and the Ilorin Emirate.
Shettima recalled the contributions of AbdulRazaq's late father to the emirate and the country, while commending the governor's administration for its infrastructure projects and cooperation with federal government policies.
The ceremony drew several political and traditional leaders, including Niger State Governor Umar Bago, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli.
Deputy governors from Sokoto, Anambra, Nasarawa, Delta, Ondo and Oyo states were also in attendance.
For Shettima, however, the central message was political: the battles of an election may be fierce, but they do not have to become permanent battles between former allies.
If you want, I can also make it **more tabloid-style and explosive**, with a stronger headline, shorter paragraphs, and a more dramatic opening.
Shettima: Only Six Northern Governors Backed Tinubu in 2023
