The Vice-President, Mr Kashim Shettima, has said that following the judgment delivered by the Presidential Election Petition Court, the All Progressives Congress will retire the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, politically.
Shettima spoke on Wednesday night while addressing journalists shortly after the Tribunal judgment which he described as a testimony to the fate Nigerians have in President Bola Tinubu and his administration.
When asked if he would still retire ‘political tourists’ as he said during the campaign, Shettima said the APC had moved beyond the phase of politics.
He said, “Now we are in the phase of governance. Atiku Abubakar is an elder statesman that I hold in very high esteem.
“Anybody who knows the socio-cultural interactions between Fulanis and the Kanuris in the North will know that I have the liberty to hurl insults at him and he will stoically bear it. We are not going to retire him to Dubai or Morocco, I will retire him to Kombina. I will buy him goats, broilers and layers so that he can spend his days rearing goats and broilers.”
But that’s on the joking side, he added.
"On a more serious note, he is an elder statesman, the nation needs him. Experience is not something that you can buy in the marketplace. We’d tap into his wealth of experience and exposure to catapult the nation to a higher pedestal.
“Politics is over, governance is now important.”
SaharaReporters reported on Wednesday that the five-member panel of justices of the court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani affirmed the election of Tinubu and Shettima while delivering judgment on the petition filed by Atiku Abubakar and his party, the PDP.
The tribunal also dismissed the petitions filed by the Labour Party and its candidate in the election, Peter Obi and the Allied Peoples Movement.
However, Shettima also called on those he offended by his utterances in the course of the election to forgive him, insisting that he said those things because of politics.
He said, “It’s a great day for Nigeria. The Nigerian judiciary has proven itself to be the guardians for justice and fairness against the sirens of deception. It’s a battle between the will of the people and the forces of misinformation and disinformation. But democracy has finally triumphed. Like the bird phoenix, it rises from the ashes – resolute and unyielding.
“And in this age of information, discernment is our greatest armour and unity it’s our strongest force.
“Remember, ladies and gentlemen, in this battle for the survival of the nation, in this grand symphony of democracy, your voice, your vote is a note that cannot be silenced.”
Thanking Nigerians and the APC leadership, he said, “My principal, President Ahmed Tinubu is eternally indebted to the Nigerian people and to the leadership of the party who have been here since 9 am – our governors, our energetic chairman and national secretary of the party. Words cannot adequately convey our gratitude to the Nigerian people.”
Shettima called for unity in the country, saying what “binds us together supersedes whatever divides us”.
“Let’s unite as a people and face our common challenges,” he added.