Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has revealed that only six out of the nineteen northern governors supported President Bola Tinubu's presidential ambition ahead of the 2023 general election, disclosing for the first time the scale of the internal opposition the President faced within his own party and region. Shettima made the revelation on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, during the turbaning of Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate.
Speaking before an audience that included governors, traditional rulers and political leaders, Shettima said the 2023 presidential campaign was fought under conditions that would have deterred a less determined politician. "We have 19 states in the North, apart from Abubakar Sani Bello seated here, and Malam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. To avoid controversy, I will stop naming the names of the other governors. But the governors that were supporting Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the North were not more than six," he said. The Vice President recalled that the opposition to Tinubu's candidacy was not limited to the rival Peoples Democratic Party but also came from within the ranks of the All Progressives Congress in the North. He said many obstacles were placed on Tinubu's path to frustrate his focus, yet the President refused to be deterred.
Shettima also referenced the political narrative that then-President Muhammadu Buhari was not in support of Tinubu's succession bid. He recalled the slogan "Baba bayan sunshi," which was widely used during the campaign period to imply that Buhari did not endorse Tinubu's ambition. Despite this, Tinubu went ahead with his ambition and won the election. The Vice President noted that Tinubu's political style was influenced by Buhari, whom he described as a politician who would not allow himself to be arm-twisted during political negotiations.
The Vice President used the occasion to urge Nigerian politicians to stop treating politics as a "game of death" and to embrace reconciliation after every political contest. He disclosed that after the 2023 election, President Tinubu hugged and forgave all the northern governors who did not support him. "That is a mark of a good leader," Shettima said. He urged politicians in Kwara State, particularly those involved in the ongoing disputes following the APC primaries, to emulate the President by setting aside their differences once political competitions are over. The Kwara APC has been embroiled in internal crisis following its governorship primary, with some aggrieved aspirants forming a pressure group known as the G-15 to protest the outcome.
Shettima also defended the Tinubu administration's handling of the economy, saying the government inherited about $3.9 billion in the national reserve and faced difficult economic circumstances when it assumed office. He said the administration chose to tackle the challenges it inherited rather than spend its time apportioning blame, and that the economic team forged ahead to turn the economy around. "Today, Nigeria is better for it," he said. The Vice President reminded politicians and public officials to serve with humility, saying political offices are temporary and power is given by God to the people He so wishes, not because they are better than others. "As public office holders, we spend more of our lives outside public offices than we do in public offices. Let us embrace each other, let us have the courage to serve with humility," he said.
The revelation has drawn attention to the political dynamics that shaped the 2023 presidential election, particularly the internal divisions within the APC in the North. Before the election, the APC controlled 14 of the 19 northern states, including Borno, Gombe and Yobe in the North-East, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara in the North-West, and Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa and Niger in the North-Central. The PDP controlled the remaining five states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Plateau and Taraba. Despite the numerical advantage of the APC in the North, Shettima's disclosure suggests that the majority of the party's northern governors were not actively supportive of Tinubu's presidential bid at the time. Tinubu went on to win the election with 8,794,726 votes, defeating Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who polled 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party who finished third with 6,101,533 votes.
The Vice President's remarks come amid political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections and ongoing tensions within the Kwara APC following its primaries. His call for reconciliation and his account of Tinubu's magnanimity in victory are likely to be interpreted as a signal to aggrieved party members across the country that the President is willing to forgive and work with those who opposed him, provided they are willing to unite ahead of the next electoral contest. For now, Shettima's disclosure has provided a rare insight into the internal battles that Tinubu fought and won on his way to the presidency, and a reminder that political power in Nigeria is often secured not by consensus but by the determination of a few against the scepticism of many.
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