Senate President, Lawan, Shakes Party, Casts Doubt Over Tinubu, Calls Shettima APC Presidential Candidate

By Gideon Njoku

Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan, has cast a doubt on who exactly is the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Is it Asiwaju Bola Tinubu or his running mate, former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima?

This question stems from Lawan’s introduction of Shettima as the Presidential  candidate of the APC.

Lawan had held a meeting with APC stakeholders from Yobe on Wednesday. He is from Yobe State. What was discussed was not made public.

But after the meeting, Lawan felt strongly about its importance, and so decided to tell Nigerians that such a meeting was held.

In a post informing Nigerians of the meeting, he introduced Shettima as the Presidential Candidate of the APC.

Lawan: “Met yesterday with the stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress from Yobe State, including the Presidential Candidate of our great party, the APC, Senator Kashim Shettima.”

The post, now deleted, has ruffled feathers within and outside the Party. Not a few people are giving it all kinds of interpretation. Statements like: “Finally the truth is out. APC has done the South the more you look, the less you see. So Tinubu is just the Place Holder for Shettima. So, this has been the plan, now leaked?”

Some people have said the embarrassing mis-introduction  was an honest mistake. But if it is, others argue, deleting it is not enough. They say Lawan should issue a statement and an apology.

This, they posit becomes more necessary given the  performance of Tinubu at Chatham House where he assigned questions put to  him to some members of his entourage to answer on his behalf.

The conclusion they have reached now is that if Tinubu wins, he would just sit there and Shettima would wield the power of the President.

For the records, Lawan contested for the APC Presidential ticket at the Primary alongside Tinubu and others. Tinubu won.