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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The colourful and dignifying choice words President Bola Tinubu used to sing praises and acknowledge the quality and undiluted loyalty of his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, during his birthday, last week, may have, to a large extent, laid to rest the intense and unending speculations over his future and the possibility of retaining his seat in the 2027 joint presidential ticket.
Judging by the misconstrued tempo, the heightened gravity of the speculated crack in their relationship and the rumoured cold war brewing between them a few months ago, not many would expect that President Tinubu could pay such glowing tributes to celebrate Shettima.
For some time now, temper had flared, tantrums were thrown ceaselessly, just as needless smear media campaigns were equally deployed to press home their demands on the justification of retaining and or sacrificing Shettima in the 2027 presidential election.
But characteristics of an average politician and to the chagrin of some persons, President Tinubu, perhaps in an attempt to officially dismiss the speculation of frosty relationship with his deputy, told Vice President Shettima, in his encomiums that; “I deeply appreciate your vibrancy, loyalty, partnership, and support as my deputy.
“In choosing you then as a partner, I selected competence and other qualities that Nigeria could depend on. Every day, as Vice President, you have justified that choice by strengthening our work, bringing fresh perspectives, and upholding our commitment to Nigerians. Your dedication reassures me that I did not make a mistake in choosing you as my deputy,” he said.
President Tinubu’s validation of Shettima’s loyalty would not have come at a better time than now that it is most needed to extinguish the flaming thongs of fire of speculators interpreting any perceived cold war festering between them to stop their loyalists pitching tents against themselves.
And as if those accolades to eulogise Shettima were not enough, President Tinubu seems to finally laid to rest any further doubt about any frigid relationship in his subsequent testimonials on the statement, emphasising: “Our relationship transcends official duties. It is a bridge across regions and traditions, united in purpose and service.
“You remind us of what is possible when Nigeria comes first, an example worthy of emulation by those who aspire to lead,” Tinubu noted.
On his part, Shettima assured President Tinubu that he would never take the gesture extended to him on his birthday for granted.
“Today, as I reflect upon the goodwill messages that reached me from across Nigeria and beyond, I see life breathed into this eternal truth.
“I am deeply moved by the prayers and goodwill, particularly from my boss, President Bola Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
“And our beloved mother of the nation, the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on the occasion of my 59th birthday.
“Mr President, your heartfelt message, steeped in warmth and comradeship, has touched me profoundly.
“This feeling, as you know, is mutual. The bond we share, anchored in loyalty and service, is one I will never take for granted.
“I have watched you shoulder the burden of difficult choices, steering our nation through turbulent waters into a harbour of stability that promises abundance.
“To serve alongside you, under your visionary and people-centred leadership, in shaping our nation’s destiny through the Renewed Hope Agenda, is an honour and lifelong lesson,” he said.
But, curiously, Tinubu was not alone in confirming that sanity may have been restored and that they are now united to approach the 2027 polls, as his support group, PBAT Door-to-Door, equally felicitated Shettima on his birthday.
Led by no less a person than High Chief Dr. Government Ekpemupolo, Alias Tompolo, the group in their tribute, noted: “We join millions of Nigerians in celebrating a visionary leader whose unwavering loyalty, steadfast commitment, and selfless dedication have remained a pillar of strength to the Renewed Hope administration of President Tinubu. Your humility, resilience, and patriotic zeal have continue to inspire Nigerians, especially the youths, towards servicing, nation-building, and faith in the Nigerian project.”
In retrospect, before President Tinubu and his loyalists showered the birthday encomiums on Shettima, it was becoming obvious that an acrimonious seed of discord between the duo had been planted. Their loyalists, on both sides of the divide, that exploited every avenue to widen the cracks, never disappointed in going extra miles to prove, beyond any iota of doubt, in their show of forces, that the Tinubu-Shettima alliance was under intense fire and threat.
According to many pundits, the noise raised by the stakeholders, particularly from North-Central and North -West, gave thousands and one reasons, to push home their demands for Tinubu to drop Shettima.
For example, the statement from one of the stakeholders read, “The North- Central is strengthening advocacy for the return of presidency to the zone come 2027 through high-level consultations with prominent figures in the geo-political zone and Nigeria at large.
“We appeal for the cooperation of Nigerians to make the agitation a reality and put the region in the equation of other zones who have enjoyed the constitutional right of producing president and vice president in Nigeria as the zone has what it takes to lead rather than to be led all the times,” they noted, disregarding the fact that the zone currently occupies the national chairmanship seat of the ruling party.
But, for many students of political history, the demands and counter agitations to sacrifice or retain Vice Presidents, especially during re-election bids, is not peculiar to this current administration.
Since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, from former president Olusegun Obasanjo, when the fate of Vice President Atiku Abubakar hung in the balance in their re-election bid in 2003, to former President Jonathan, when Mohammed Namadi Sambo fought the battle of his life to retain his position as vice president and their counterpart Muhammadu Buhari, when stakeholders fought like wounded lions to ensure that Professor Yemi Osinbajo was retained in the joint ticket ahead of the 2019 presidential election.
From hindsight, this current fight for the future of Shettima in the build up to the 2027 presidential poll seems to be a child’s play compared past experiences.
Recall that while reflecting on the face-off between Obasanjo and Atiku in the build-up to the 2003 presidential election, Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, once noted that he has no reason to doubt the claim by former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, that Obasanjo once knelt down for Atiku in Tripoli before the late President, Muamar Ghaddafi, in his desperate bid to secure the ticket of the PDP.
The deadly clash came to the head by triggering panic in Obasanjo’s camp when Atiku declared, in the famous BBC interview few days to PDP’s 2003 primaries, that he was under tremendous pressure from his supporters to contest the ticket against Obasanjo but he was yet to make up his mind.
In summing the situation up, Soyinka said: “The pressure was intense. Of course, I could not have knelt before Atiku not to embark on a course of action that would lead to his boss’ disgrace. But I can confirm to you that Obasanjo as President knelt down before Atiku so that he would not lose his job.
“However, I equally warned Atiku that for making Obasanjo to kneel down for you, be sure you would have to pay heavily for that. I guess my warning came to pass if you remember Atiku’s dramatic change of fortune once Obasanjo was sworn in for a second term of office,” Soyinka recalled.
The brutal battle between the gladiators actually underscored the intensity of the rumbling undercurrents before they could agree to continue with the joint ticket in 2003.
The trend of hostility between the presidents seeking re-election retaining their deputies as running mates, equally continued during the eras of both Jonathan and Buhari during 2015 and 2019 presidential elections respectively.
In Jonathan’s case, he equally came under such intense pressure to drop Namadi Sambo as his running mate ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
Although there was no clearcut serious reported rift between the duo, unlike former President Obasanjo and Atiku, the major inconsequential reason canvassed against his retention of Namadi was that the former Kaduna State Governor was a “political lightweight” and cannot deliver the needed northern votes in the election.
As the intrigues intensified ahead of the official ratification of Jonathan as the party’s candidate after his automatic adoption by various organs of the PDP, the position of Sambo had come under scrutiny with both the then Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido and his Katsina counterpart, Ibrahim Shema, touted as Namadi’s possible replacement.
Others also rumoured to be interested in stepping into Namadi’s shoes were Dr Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, and Namadi’s predecessor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, who was not on good terms with him long before he was picked as vice-president.
In Buhari and Osinbajo’s case, the speculations were so mild that in an attempt to douse and dismiss them, Buhari, in his witty nature had jokingly hinted when he hosted a delegation of conference of Nigerian Female Parliamentarians at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja that he may appoint another VP should he win the 2019 presidential election as Osinbajo’s position was under threat.
“It is a pity the VP is not here, but I believe the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will brief him that his position is threatened. It is only his position that is threatened. And if we win the election, he will lose his election,” he joked on a lighter note.
Weighing in on the current speculations about Shettima’s future ahead of the 2027 presidential election, Honorable Agbi Steven Omobamidele, former Special Adviser (SA) on Mobilisation to Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, had while dismissing it assured that his position is secured.
The DG of Consolidated APC Grassroots Movement (CAGRA), an umbrella of all support group for APC, said: “I can tell you that Asiwaju and Shettima are in good terms. If anything untoward has to happen, Shettima will be carried along. And whether he retains his position as the running mate or not, that structure that they built together cannot be destroyed. Shettima is for the party, Shettima is for Tinubu, and for Nigeria. Nothing is changing.”
