KASHIM SHETTIMA AND THE PROVERBIAL LIZARD RESTING ON A WATER KEG

KASHIM SHETTIMA AND THE PROVERBIAL LIZARD RESTING ON A WATER KEG

By: Inuwa Bwala.

They seem to have come a long way, and they are the only two people that know the chord that have kept them bonded.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, know very well where they stand in the ongoing permutations against the 2027 elections.

Their coordinated silence and keeping their game plans to their chests have perhaps been the secret why they have not allowed the polity to be overheated.

I give them thumbs up, for maintaining their balance, even in the face of deliberate provocations.

Reading the story about perceived pressures, being mounted on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to drop his Vice for another, and the attendant suspense from their silence on the matter is a subject for another day.

But the noise being generated reminds me about a story my late mother used to tell me.
It was the story of the mystery egg, which portends death in the family of anybody who sees it.

Whoever sees the egg, whether he or she picks it, or leaves it: one of his or her parents shall die.

This story also aligns with the Nigerian proverb, about the lizard resting on a pot of water.

Attempting to chase the lizard away could break the pot and spill the water, yet allowing it to be could lead to the contamination of the water.

Although it is still at the level of speculations amongst some elements within the ruling All Ptogressives Congress, APC, it is trite that, we disect the likely implications of replacing Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, as running mate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 Presidential race.

It started as a rumor, but it is gradually gaining prominence in political discourse.
Since the ugly incidence in Gombe during the zonal rally of the APC last year, at which Kashim Shettima’s name and picture were omitted from the list of political leaders of the North East, to the most recent public hearing on the review of the APC constitution in Maiduguri where again Shettimas name and picture were ommitted; one is bound to suspect that, there may be deliberate efforts to force the Vice President out of the system.

Both incidents had sparked outrage from Borno State delegates in Gombe, and by the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, at the Maiduguri meet.

At every turn, prominent Nigerians have warned, that, any attempt to force Shettima out shall be counter productive to the APC’s strategy in the 2027 elections.

As rightfully observed by my senior colleague, Dr Ruben Abatti, in a recent opinion on the subject matter, the reactions to these suspicious developments, highlight Kashim Shettima’s significance, in APC’ calculations in the North East region, ahead of 2027.

To my mind, those trying to force the script on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are being uncharitable given the fact that; as the highest-ranking politician from the North East region and the attendant roles he has been playing in securing the support of key Northern states for the APC, It may be Tinubu’s costliest political miscalculation, to sacrifice him.

Seemingly ridding on the back of religious balancing, one may be tempted to ask, if Tinubu, who nominated Shettima as his running mate, had found Shettima wanting or working against the intetest of other religions, having worked with him for two and a half years now?

Like him or not, Kashim Shettims has given very good account of himself as a loyal, competent, dependable and a politically suave personality.

Removing Shettima at a time many Nigerians are beggining to accept the Tinubu administration, because of Shettima’s many interventions, could further re-open healing wounds, and his growing fans could turn reluctant, in supporting the APC.
As rightfully observed, the North East, where Shettima holds the aces could be alienated, and his fellow Muslim voters, may look other ways.

There is this wise saying that, “You dont change a winning team in the middle of the game”. Applying this wisdom may save Tinubu in the face of an impending destabilization of the APC’s electoral calculations.

Without prejudice to the political values of those being touted as possible replacements: including, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Yakubu Dogara, General Christopher Musa, and even Shettimas political godson, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, the odds are still in favour of retaining the old ticket.

Whether necessiated by internal dynamics or fueled by perceived external pressures, from the United States, President Tinubu is safer, working with the devil he now knows.

I make bold to state that, Kashim Shettima weilds an intimidating political credentials, which resonates with many Nigerians, who did not hitherto knew who Shettima is.
Kashim Shettima is politically sagacious, with the capacity to turn around the ship heading for the rocks.

His influence over electorates in the North East cannot be underrated
and if I may suggest maintaining Shettima as President Tinubu’s running mate in 2027, would not only ensure continuity, but also stability, and regional balance, as analyst argue.

While others may argue otherwise, I see Shettima as the proverbial lizard hanging on a pot filled with drinking water. One risks stonning the lizard and break the pot or allow the lizard to spoil the water.

KASHIM SHETTIMA AND THE PROVERBIAL LIZARD RESTING ON A WATER KEG