Daily Trust reports said that the former governor of Borno State was among the 11 persons the committee recommended for APC presidential candidate, Tinubu to be his running mate.
Details have emerged that the Planning and Strategy Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation (TCO) headed by Mr Babachir David Lawal recommended Senator Kashim Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate.
Daily Trust reports said that the former governor of Borno State was among the 11 persons the committee recommended for APC presidential candidate, Tinubu to be his running mate.
According to the paper, the recommendation was contained in a report of a sub-committee chaired by Senator Grace Folasade Bent which it sighted.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and asked President Muhammadu Buhari to revoke Shettima’s nomination.
Babachir had in his opposition said that Christians all over the country will revolt against the APC for choosing Shettima, a Muslim, to deputise for Tinubu.
However, the paper reported that members of the Lawal-led committee informed it that the final report of the committee was concluded last Tuesday and submitted to Tinubu by Lawal, who travelled to London on Wednesday for the purpose.
It was after he received the report that the APC candidate travelled back to Nigeria where he announced the name of Shettima as his choice for running mate on Sunday.
Shettima was first on the list of the seven persons shortlisted from the North-East geopolitical zone, in addition to four others recommended from the North West.
It was learnt that the report shows that the committee noted that a Muslim-Muslim ticket will give Tinubu “guaranteed victory” and listed many Muslim candidates for consideration.
The report however weighed the merits and demerits of Muslim-Christian and Muslim-Muslim tickets for the APC candidate and highlighted the implications of possible apathy and protest from the Christian community in the event of the adoption of a Muslim running mate.
Daily Trust gathered that the members of the planning and strategy committee, which was constituted three months ago included Senator Magnus Abe; pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Senator Abu Ibrahim; Senator Bent; Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo; Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, House of Representatives’ member, Abiodun Faleke; and House of Representatives’ Musa Sarkin-Adar.
One of the members of the committee said after the emergence of Tinubu as the flagbearer of the APC, a sub-committee was constituted to provide guidance on the selection of a running mate and director general of the campaign team.
The committee member reportedly said Senator Bent was named as the chairperson of the sub-committee under the supervision of the main committee chaired by the former SGF.
Another member of the panel said the decision to pick Shettima was in line with the committee’s recommendation insisting that Tinubu worked with the guidance provided.
“In arriving at our recommendation, we looked at all persuasions including religion, gender and acceptability. We looked at those who can add value to the ticket,” he said.
He said that the report of the committee passed through Lawal before getting to the former Lagos State governor.
“He was part of the decision and the report got to the presidential candidate through him.
“First, we sent the soft copy of our report to Asiwaju before BD Lawal took the hard copy to him in London last Wednesday,” he said.
Among the names recommended for the VP Slot are: Kashim Shettima, Kashim Imam, an associate of Tinubu; the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum; a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, Ambassador Fatima Balla and Senator Anthony Manzo.
In the North West, the committee recommended Hajiya Najatu Mohammed, Kaduna State governor, Nasiru El-Rufai, a former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, and the Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu.