Shettima: We’ll Be Equitable, Just, Inclusive If Elected

•Etta: it’ll be disastrous if Tinubu loses presidential poll 

•Says Peter Obi will get South-east, South-south votes 

•Accuses CAN of being PDP religious wing

Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, has assured Nigerians that if elected, the Bola Tinubu administration would be inclusive, just, and fair to all Nigerians, irrespective of tribal, religious, or political affiliation.

Shettima said this yesterday during the one-year memorial service for Dr. Emmanuel Abiodun, father of the governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, held at St. James Anglican Church, Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area, Ogun State.

That was as former APC National Vice Chairman, South-south, Hillard Etta, yesterday said it would be a disaster of monumental proportion if Tinubu did not emerge the next president of Nigeria.

A statement quoted Shettima to have said, “We need to build a new nation because the hope of the black man is on Nigeria. The onus is on us to secure the future of our children yet unborn.

“I want to assure Nigerians that we are going to be just and fair to all Nigerians. We are going to be all-inclusive because no society can strive on injustice. Ours will be all-encompassing, all-embracing government.

“We will build a country of our dreams, where people are judged by their character, irrespective of their political affiliations, religious persuasions, sectional or tribal ground.”

The former Borno State governor commended the South-west geopolitical zone for being a bastion of religious tolerance and generosity, where people are judged by the content of their character, competence, and ability. He called on other parts of the country to emulate such qualities for peaceful coexistence and development.

In his remarks, Governor Abiodun called on Nigerians to continue to pray to God to see the country through these difficult and trying times.

The governor stated, “I want to ask that we continue to pray that God Almighty see us through this time. These are really difficult times in the history of the nation called Nigeria. We are seeing things that we have never seen before.

“I don’t have any doubt that in no time, God will see us through. We are the people God has treated wonderfully and He fortified us with lots of endurance and by His grace, we will rise to the top.”

In his sermon, the Bishop of Remo Diocese, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Olusina Fape, called on Nigerian leaders to live impactful lives that people will remember after their demise.

Preaching on the topic, “Do this in Remembrance of Me,” with his text from Luke 22:19, Fape reminded leaders that no amount of wealth would speak well of them, except the good work they did while in leadership.

“There are leaders who were in government yesterday that could have made Nigeria better today but they failed,” Fape said. “I want them to know that we will remember them, whether they did well or not,” he added.

The clergyman chided Nigerian leaders for embezzling the commonwealth of the people, even when it was not useful to them. He called on leaders to have a change of heart, as there is always retribution at the end of the day.

Etta: It’ll be Disastrous if Tinubu Loses in 2023

Etta said it would be terrible if Tinubu did not win the presidential election next year. He spoke in Abuja during an interview with journalists.

The former APC zonal chairman accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of being the religious wing of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He expressed optimism that come May 2023, Tinubu would be sworn in as the 16th President of Nigeria.

Etta said, “We don’t have any apprehension that we will not win. We are waiting for campaign to start in September and election in February, by the grace of God. We know our work is cut out for us. We know it is not going to be a walk into the park. We know we gave new paradigm that we must deal with.

“We have new issues in Nigeria that we must deal with in order to see the emerging Nigeria, where citizens will have opportunities to call out leaders and question them and make them accountable. This is the Nigeria we have dreamt of and that Nigeria is birthing and we will all make sure the birthing of the new Nigeria becomes a reality.”

On Atiku and Obi, Etta said the ruling APC had dealt with the PDP presidential candidate before and would deal with him again.

He said, “Atiku is an old customer. We have dealt with him before and we are going to deal with him again. We know his tricks; he cannot come with new tricks. We are going to deal with him politically.”

Etta said the Labour Party presidential candidate, Obi, remained the paradigm APC needed to deal with.

He, however, predicted that Obi was going to eat up PDP’s votes in the South-south and South-east, leaving APC and Labour Party to contend for votes in both zones.

Etta said, “APC as a party is happy to have Obi as a candidate. Obi is popular in the metropolitan Abuja, metropolitan Lagos, but in the rural areas of Nigeria, people in Zungeru or Zango Kataf, ask them about Obi, most of them will mistaken him for a spare parts trader. The truth is Obi is a phenomenon in the South-south, South-east, metropolitan Abuja, Lagos on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.”

On CAN’s objections to APC’s choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Etta accused the Christian body of being the religious wing of the opposition PDP. He said religion had no place in politics, and citizens should be more worried about the problem of underdevelopment in the country and the right person to do the job.

 He alleged, “CAN is the religious wing of the PDP, it has been so established. We have reason to say so, because the sitting vice president, a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, and CAN did not support him in 2019. Even when he was on the ballot in 2015, they did not support him. Christians have superintended over the country more than Muslims from 1999 till date. Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan had 16 years and by the expiration of President Buhari, Muslims would have done 10 years.

“Before the Muslim-Muslim ticket issue, leaders in the southern part agreed that the presidency should come to the region, whether APC or PDP. The PDP had their primary first and a Fulani Muslim became their candidate. Why did CAN not speak against the ticket? But it has now found its voice the moment APC selected Kashim Shetima as the party’s vice president. Before Shettima, we had one Alhaji Masari on the ticket, CAN did not bother, but now, why the noise of Shetima? With Shetima, we have locked North-east. We want to win the election and with Shettima we are winning.

“I watched the television interview of Atiku Abubakar and I share the pains of the youths. When I watched a leader speak to issues that are very important in such a cavalier manner. A manner that you question in his leadership qualities. The youths are angry and they have the right to be so. Unfortunately, they have been looking for a hero and they have found that in Peter Obi. It is sad that Peter Obi is the antithesis of what the youth are looking for.”