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2023: Is Kashim Shettima becoming a political rallying point in northeast Nigeria?

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5 years ago

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Kashim Shettima @ 56:  An extraordinary leader forged in the theatre of challenges. 

2023: Is Kashim Shettima becoming a political rallying point in northeast Nigeria?

By: James Bwala, Maiduguri

Indications are that all is set for the tackle and thrilling to take place following approval given by President Muhammadu Buhari of February 2022 for the APC National Convention. This has further explained that members of the party may be on the fast track to drool and be drooling one and another from within the ruling party for the opportunity to gain favour and to be voted. This could be either by simple majority or by appointment as it is always with the new style of winning through the consensus. Certainly a lot is ahead for the all out in 2023 and if this arrangement succeeds, there is no doubt that Borno state is on its way to producing the next Nigeria’s second citizen.

However, interestingly the name Kashim Shettima keeps coming amongst gladiators not only from Borno state but also across the northeast region and by extension the larger part of the country. This was observed by both the politicians, rumour mongers and analysts of unfolding events within the APC. The question one may be tempted to ask as the days unfold is that; Is Kashim Shettima now the political rallying point in northeast Nigeria? Facts have shown that his activism or rather do-gooding across the northeast particularly as explained by politicians within the region puts him (Kashim Shettima) at vantage point for political history making within the All Progressive Congress, APC.

Also Read: NDLEA intercepts N2.7b cocaine at Abuja airport

NEWSng reports that, ahead of the 2023 Presidential Election, the South West Movement for Osinbajo (SOWEMOVE) has urged governors and traditional rulers in the region to prevail on the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step down for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the battle for the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC. The group has consequently begun lobbying governors, traditional rulers, business and political elites in Yorubaland to carefully weigh various options and seriously consider backing the Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo.

Presenting a report and copies of several correspondences with Obas and other eminent personalities in the South West to the Director of Operations of The Progressive Project (TPP), Alhaji Aliyu Usman Aliyu in Abuja recently, the group said youths of the region will become arrowheads of efforts towards making Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. Perhaps Tinubu is also considering this option, looking at chances to bring down a political “ROCK” with his name encrypted. If that happens and of course with the crystal clear argument on the horizon; it will be the Osinbajo/Shettima ticket.  This would be perfect as there would be no sentiments around religion as characterized in the past. And indeed if Tinubu considered this and supported Osinbajo/Shettima, he would undeniably be remembered as a pillar that stabilizes democracy in Nigeria. More to this, he will be the first to make such a record in political history in the country by having two of his political students as the President and Vice President of Nigeria and by extension he would also have the National Assembly as the extension of his political empire.

Speaking on this scheming, Usman Rabiu, a political analyst in Abuja observed that “the southwest geopolitical region of Nigeria has former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its political leader. No one has doubted his capacity in building a strong political territory that is working for him today.” He said “As Tinubu ages, he is not diminishing politically given the fact that he has raised political children occupying strategic political positions. This is a fact that makes him leader of the ruling party in Nigeria. Without any argument he has assumed this position and remained a big voice in the polity of this country.

Also Read: PRESENT YOUR EVIDENCE AND SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIM, PANEL…

“One of Tinubu’s students of politics (Kashim Shettima) is making a positive impact by design, destiny and fate. His feathers were spread like the eagle across the northeast region. He was a successful Banker and as commissioner, he served in five ministries drawing experience in education, Agriculture, finance, Health and Local government ministry. He rose from a super Commissioner to become the first Borno intellectually sound governor. He served his eight years term and gave Borno a successor, who is making not only Borno citizens proud but Nigerians as a whole.” He said.

NEWSng observed that Kashim Shettima, a current serving senator of the Federal Republic representing Borno central is a man who loves books. Such however, is not the like of a typical Nigerian politician but Kashim Shettima’s trend, drift, learning, inclination, tendency, movement and development politically has presented a unique, inimitable, distinctive and matchless political figure.

For a long time the northeast has lost a leader figure firmly in place to give voice to the people, to speak to political firmaments and to present an equally coordinated team for the region. But as the 2023 political year draws by, observation across the region is signifying a revival and presenting a history of lifecycles. When NEWSng spoke with a cross section of the people on leading voices in the northeast, it was gathered that Kashim Shettima stood tall following his activities, connections and marketability. A testament to these facts was when he spoke for the people on the floor of the National Assembly; he was not speaking for the eight local government areas of Borno state where he pledged and represented as a constituency. But when he stood to speak, he did for the northeast region where many representatives have lost their voices on issues and matters regarding the safety and well-being of their people. It was a choice to either go down or stand tall. Such sacrifices only go with charismatic leadership, which Shettima has demonstrated.

Speaking to a former deputy governor, who did not want his name on print for some reasons, he said “I can without doubt say that the fingers of the clock stand exactly on the bright side of the day. There are signals that the buildup for VP in 2023 is pointing towards the former Borno state governor as the political rallying point for the northeast region. Fatefully, this was the position he took in 2015 when he demonstrated mastery of the political game by putting Political Czars of Borno permanently on retirement. Kashim Shettima has mastered the act of gathering a crowd and he selects his lieutenants carefully. You can see that everyone on the other side before is now on this side. This speaks more of his forgiving spirit and open mind.

Also Read: Borno Governor gives 300 bicycles to ease transport to…

“Recently, I have traveled across the northeast states. I have met and chatted with grassroots politicians to feel their pulse about 2023. I have deliberately put questions to them during our long discussion on preferred candidates and making some assessment. While gauging on leading politicians I have found it of interest to speak about the former governor, Senator Kashim Shettima with senior politicians. It was about politics and it is about how to get a leader for the northeast region as we go into another round of politics. We have been supporting the Northwest and it is time for them to support us.

“Our people believe that power belongs to God and only He gives power to those he wishes to give to at a particular point in time. Despite the fact that you can find this saying almost on the lips of every Politician particularly, when election time near or comes about you see politicians also falling over themselves seeking favour from wherever it may come. However, when such favours did not come by they quickly forget this and will begin to look elsewhere as the source of their failure. We have been in that situation in the northeast simply because we have no firm leaders and the political voice has always gone to the northwest. Perhaps this is about time to seek for one and interestingly as well as arrangement by divine we are getting back what we have lost.

“2023 is about a time when Nigerians will again begin to see the manifestation of all kinds of politics. Such belief is beginning to come by as politicians begin to find rallying points to further their aspirations toward making better choices. In Borno state and by extension the northeast, these armies of Political office seekers are beginning to align and realign strategists of finding favour and hoping to be picked by political godfathers for the epic battle. In the northeast, many believed Borno remained the boiling pot doctrinally. And by that, who then is the rallying point? Certainly now is Kashim Shettima because we all are going to need his experience, his connections and thinking faculty and capacity to see beyond the rhetoric.” He said

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Ibrahim Abubakar, a politician from Gombe state also observed that the former Borno state governor has played a key role in reconciling differences among politicians. “If you go through his records as former Chairman of the northern governor’s forum, you will agree with me that he has played a key role in stabilizing the APC when it was hit by crises and almost dividing. He has stepped into many political struggles resulting in misunderstanding between former governors and their successors. He stood in among the senators to calm nerves as well as between members of the National Assembly (Senators/Reps) not only for the extraction from Borno state but also across the country to preach peace. I can go on and on. I think he is a learning political figure worthy of emulation.“

Ba’bunu Wakil also spoke about arrangements and rearrangement within the ruling party ahead of 2023.  He made certain disclosures by examining the political trend and mentioning few names but concluding that Senator Kashim Shettima may have been position to take the place of leading political icons that history spoke well of them like the great Waziri Ibrahim whose theory and practice of politics without bitterness still speak to this day.

According to him, “Take everything from Kashim Shettima but you cannot take his vision for Borno, northeast and Nigeria as a whole. Whenever Kashim Shettima is in town, his house becomes like Mecca. It was always like that since he left the Maiduguri Government House. Even the Nicodemus among politicians were not left out. In their characters, they always find him.”

2023: Is Kashim Shettima becoming a political rallying point in northeast Nigeria?

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Fubara Declares Support for Tinubu, Chinda, Says Rivers Political War Is Over

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6 days ago

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July 22, 2026

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Fubara Declares Support for Tinubu, Chinda, Says Rivers Political War Is Over

By: Michael Mike

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has announced his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term ambition and the governorship aspiration of Hon. Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, saying political differences in the state have been resolved and that the time for confrontation is over.

Fubara made the declaration on Wednesday during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Riven Medical Industries Project in Port Harcourt, where he said previously opposing political camps in Rivers had reached an understanding to work together for peace and development.

The governor said he had aligned with the “Rainbow Coalition,” a political movement associated with former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and urged his supporters across the state to support candidates under the platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We have made peace in the state and I am supporting our Rainbow Coalition. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our president, and is the one we are supporting. OK Chinda is the governorship candidate that I am supporting and anybody who believes in me will support him and every other candidate that is under the Rainbow Coalition,” Fubara said.

He added that he had returned to the political family, insisting that Rivers State must move beyond past disagreements.

“I’ve gone back to our family. So, please, whoever you are, give your total support to the Rainbow Coalition. We need to move forward. The time of war is over. It is time for peace and this peace is taking us to another level,” he said.

Fubara urged his supporters not to claim allegiance to him alone but to support the broader political arrangement, stressing that he was committed to unity and stability in the state.

“I’m not party to anything that will bring any form of disunity in this state. I’ve done what I need to do and we are moving forward,” he stated.

The governor also used the occasion to highlight the significance of the Riven Medical Industries Project, describing it as a major step towards industrialisation, healthcare development, and economic expansion in Rivers State.

However, he warned investors against abandoning commitments after receiving government support, recalling past experiences where agreements with investors resulted in disputes and legal battles.

According to him, the state government approved the project because of confidence in the investors’ ability to revive the facility, create employment opportunities, and contribute to economic growth.

He tasked the investors to adhere strictly to project timelines, particularly ensuring the completion of the first phase within three months, while appealing to host communities and the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area leadership to provide an enabling environment for the project.

The Riven Medical Industries Project is a Public-Private Partnership between the Rivers State Government and Enbay Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, aimed at transforming the former Integrated Medical Industries (IMI) into a pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.

When completed, the facility is expected to produce pharmaceutical formulations, gelatine capsules, intravenous infusions, and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), boosting local drug production capacity and reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported medicines.

The project is also projected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, promote technology transfer, attract investment, and strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare supply chain.

The development comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with alliances and realignments expected to shape contests across states.

Fubara Declares Support for Tinubu, Chinda, Says Rivers Political War Is Over

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Remain neutral during elections, Senate aspirant Bembella urges Nasarawa North elders

Published

1 week ago

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July 18, 2026

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Chief Bembella during the interview.

Remain neutral during elections, Senate aspirant Bembella urges Nasarawa North elders

By: Bodunrin Kayode

The People’s Democratic Party PDP candidate for the Nasarawa North Senatorial zone, Madaki Bembella has appealed to the consciences of the elders in the zone to be neutral towards the up coming general election in the country.

Bembella, who is also the Waziri of Mada kingdom said it was in the interest of known elders to speak the truth at all times and maintaining their dignity when it comes to Mada kingdom and beyond adding that it is only then that the elders can easily be imitated by the younger ones.

The Mada chieftain in an exclusive interview with this reporter recently called on the elders to always speak in one voice regretting that there are some elders who should be sitting on their respected seats in line with their traditions with neutrality to guide the younger generation but sadly are still fixated at contesting for partisan politics.

“In my opinion, they should not be involved in politics again. They should rather sit down and direct the younger ones but the same people have relegated that position living a big gap sometimes with no one credible enough to fill.

“To my surprise also, elders are still participating in politics while some are still taking sides on sensitive issues where they are supposed to be neutral.” Said Bembella.

Bembella who is a household name in the Mada kingdom of Akwanga said that both the elders and younger generation should trust him in the elections because he has been tested in his service to humanity and has a shiny pedigree to show for it.

Why residents should trust him as their their next senator

On why residents of the zone should trust him with the office, he went on: “they should trust me by reason of my pedigree and also my track record as I contribute to humanity.

“We have good testimony of what we have been able to do both here in the headquarters of the zone and around the other areas.

” I have lived with people around here for the past 30 years and have not been found wanting. I have been tested to serve where I retired and gave a good account of myself.

“I have always had interests in politics especially the PDP since 1999. But I have used it to support politicians and party activities, it started around 2013 till date.

“That was when we started supporting individuals who have stakes in elections. But for full participation, I would say that started in 2024.and it will continue by God’s grace till I get to the Senate.”

As a traditional chieftain, he is also the Waziri of the Mada kingdom which is an influential position to hold in any kingdom and he actually plans to utilize his influence in the kingdom to account regularly on his achievements which he feels will bring the constituency up to speed with his actions.

On his message to the 35 electoral wards in the zone, he noted that he will work towards creating an assembly of the people in the three council areas of Wamba, Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon so that the quality of representation will increase.

Akwanga he noted was supposed to have about 14 electoral wards but it has been brought down to eleven which the contestants have to contend with.

To the young people of the zone, Bembella advised them not to mortgage their future for pittance that desperate politicians share on elections day.

He urged them to avoid vote buying and progress beyond the anti partisan politicians who come with such freebies to compromise their lives and the entire electoral system.

Bembella is a fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria who has paid his dues in his service to humanity.

Remain neutral during elections, Senate aspirant Bembella urges Nasarawa North elders

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Politics

2027 VP Certificate of Return: The Triumphant Shettima

Published

1 week ago

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July 17, 2026

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Vice President, Kashim Shettima


2027 VP Certificate of Return: The Triumphant Shettima

By: Dr James Bwala

The formal presentation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential nomination certificate to Vice President Kashim Shettima by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja marks a historic moment in Nigeria’s political landscape. This event is not merely ceremonial; it signifies the consolidation of a strategic political partnership and underscores the indispensable role of the vice presidency in national governance and electoral calculations. The critics who have underestimated the political significance of the vice-presidential office, relegating it to a position of symbolic presence confined to social functions, must now reconsider their stance. Vice President Kashim Shettima emerges not only as a formidable political figure but also as a master in governance, diplomacy, and relationship building, making him the ideal running mate for the 2027 presidential election.

The fallacy that Shettima serves only as a figurehead or mere attendee at weddings and funerals fails to appreciate the sophisticated political dynamics underlying such social engagements. In the complex web of Nigerian politics, public appearances at community events are far from trivial. They represent critical opportunities for leaders like Shettima to forge bonds, nurture trust, and demonstrate empathy with various constituencies. This aspect of grassroots engagement is very important for political sustainability and electoral success, especially in a nation as ethnically and regionally diverse as Nigeria.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/kashim-shettima-the-imperative-of-agricultural-revitalization-and-the-case-for-the-niger-deltas-agrarian-future/

Vice President Shettima’s approach over the past three years under President Tinubu’s administration exemplifies a transformative model of vice-presidential leadership. Unlike his predecessors, who often remained distant or disengaged from the public beyond official duties, Shettima has established himself as the most sociable and accessible vice president in Nigeria’s recent history. His consistent presence across the six geopolitical zones—attending significant social, religious, and cultural events—reflects a profound understanding of Nigeria’s sociopolitical fabric. This strategy has enabled him to cultivate a broad base of support that transcends ethnic and regional divides, an asset invaluable to any national campaign.

The ability to emotionally connect with people through shared experiences at weddings, funerals, and other communal gatherings creates a lasting impact that goes beyond superficial visibility. It stirs a deeper level of connection, fostering loyalty and goodwill towards the leadership. Shettima’s sensitivity to these moments has rendered him not just a political figurehead but a trusted representative of the people, fulfilling the crucial role of bridging government and citizenry. Such engagement is fundamental to democratic governance and a testament to his political acumen.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/kashim-shettima-the-imperative-of-agricultural-revitalization-and-the-case-for-the-niger-deltas-agrarian-future/

The lessons gleaned from Shettima’s network-building efforts reveal a nuanced grasp of power and influence unique for effective leadership. Politics, especially in a federal system like Nigeria’s, requires more than policy expertise; it demands strategic alliances and interpersonal relationships. Shettima’s success in cultivating friendships and collaborations among diverse political actors has strengthened both his profile and the APC’s reach. This extensive networking capacity reinforces his suitability as a vice-presidential candidate who can unite various factions and present a cohesive front in the 2027 elections.

The significance of Shettima’s receipt of the certificate of return extends beyond personal triumph; it symbolises the resilience of democratic processes within the APC and the broader Nigerian polity. Despite detractors and so-called “wishy-washers” who sought to undermine his candidature, the vice president’s nomination confirms the party’s confidence in his leadership qualities and electoral appeal. It sends a clear message that the vice-presidency is a vital component of executive power and electoral strategy—a partnership essential for steering Nigeria towards stability and progress.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/kashim-shettima-the-imperative-of-agricultural-revitalization-and-the-case-for-the-niger-deltas-agrarian-future/

In addition, Shettima’s persona as the “people’s vice president” and “Jagoran Arewa” (Leader of the North) impact deeply with the northern electorate and beyond. His background and proven track record furnish him with the legitimacy and moral authority to address regional concerns while maintaining national unity. This dual appeal is critical in a country where ethnic and regional identities profoundly shape political allegiances. His ability to balance these identities within the framework of national integration positions him as a unifying figure capable of advancing inclusive governance.

Critics who diminish the vice-presidential role overlook the institutional and constitutional responsibilities that the office entails. The vice president is not merely a standby official but an active participant in policymaking, governance, and representation. Shettima’s tenure has demonstrated commitment to these responsibilities, often spearheading initiatives and representing the presidency on critical domestic and international platforms. This proactive stance challenges outdated perceptions and elevates the office’s relevance in contemporary Nigerian politics.

READ ALSO: https://newsng.ng/kashim-shettima-the-imperative-of-agricultural-revitalization-and-the-case-for-the-niger-deltas-agrarian-future/

Vice President Kashim Shettima’s presentation of the APC vice-presidential nomination certificate is a landmark achievement that validates his political stature and strategic importance. His journey from perceived marginalisation to political prominence showcases the power of relationship-building, empathy, and visionary leadership. 

As Nigeria approaches the 2027 presidential elections, Shettima stands as a testament to the evolving nature of the vice presidency—one characterised by active governance, broad-based support, and commitment to the nation’s unity and progress. The triumph of Shettima is not just a personal victory; it is a collective affirmation that strong, socially engaged leadership at all levels of government is indispensable for Nigeria’s democratic future. Congratulations to the people’s vice president and Jagoran Arewa on this well-deserved milestone.

*James Bwala, PhD, writes from Abuja.

2027 VP Certificate of Return: The Triumphant Shettima

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