His rage comes close to that of Heathcliff, that Byronic hero in Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”, whose all-consuming anger and jealousy is capable of destroying both him and those around him. That is Kashim Shettima, the man whose passion borders somewhat on revenge.
I had thought that civility and good breeding were basic requirements for those who aspire to lead the people. I had also assumed that humility and genial disposition on the part of those who seek public office must precede their quest. I took all of this for granted until I encountered Shettima. The former governor of Borno State and vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) negates all these ideals. He is at once irascible, brash and uncouth. Most often, he comes across as a misanthropist. He appears incensed with and angry at the society that he aspires to lead.
So, what is it that makes this man exude so much bile and hate? It should be noted, for the purposes of the forthcoming electoral contest, that the man has been enslaved by phantoms. Anything that sounds contrary to his received impressions must be confronted headlong. His truculence has been a part of his newfound disposition, and this is borne out of blind ambition.
Shettima, it would seem, made his calculations about the presidency long before now. He had imagined what he and Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC, would do with Nigeria if they grab power. In his moments of Freudian slip, Shettima had left nobody in doubt that the South East is not part of his dream Nigeria. When, therefore, Peter Obi, a fellow from Shettima’s forgotten and forsaken enclave, stepped forward and started bidding strongly for the office of President, Shettima could not mask his resentment for the development. He derided the Obi quest and told him that he could only be President of the Igbo nation. For him, the idea of an Igbo man ascending the presidential throne rankles. He cannot imagine it. The mere thought of it unsettles him.
His attitude to the other strong contenders for the presidency also borders on disdain. He harbours a strong disapproval for their quest. Each time he appears where he is not supposed to appear, you see him wearing a strong and unfriendly visage. He does not blend with others because he is clearly an odd man out. He displayed his oddness to the fullest when his principal, Tinubu, could not feature at the last conference of the Nigeria Bar Association. Shettima dressed in a manner that left tongues wagging. If you thought the man would be humble about his odd display, you got it all wrong. He said his action was deliberate; that he wanted to draw out his critics. Then you ask: to what end? If Shettima wanted raw criticism on account of this, he got it to the fullest. So what did he achieve in the end? Negativity. That was the outcome of his clownishness.
Truly, the man is fast becoming an encumbrance to the Tinubu presidential ticket. Just a few days ago, Shettima and Tinubu were guests at the state office of the APC in Lagos. Tinubu, as usual, exhibited his accustomed confidence. He said his party would emerge victorious at the polls in 2023. He made the declaration light-heartedly. He did not have to insult anybody. And he did not. That is the stuff decent campaigns are made of. Sell your candidature. Give hope to your supporters. But the friendly atmosphere changed to eeriness when Shettima took over. His belligerent mien betrayed his state of mind. He was not going to make anybody laugh. When he began to speak, he took it out on Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar. He insulted them freely. He is not happy that the former governor of Anambra State dared to aspire. In his fit of ill temper, he dismissed Obi’s performance in Anambra State as mediocre. He also accused Obi of peddling wrong statistics even when he (Shettima) knows none himself. On Atiku, he dismissed the former Vice-President’s claim that he would unify the country if elected President. He wondered how Atiku could do this if he could not unify his own political party. Shettima was just a bundle of emotions. He did not hide his disgust for the aspirations of Obi and Atiku. For him, these men came to spoil the broth that should have been Tinubu’s just for the asking.
The APC vice presidential candidate is playing on the wrong turf. He is not on the same pedestal with Obi and Atiku. They are well above him. Yet, he continues to struggle to bring himself to their level. The truth is that Shettima imagines himself a presidential candidate. Owing to the obvious physical infirmity of his principal, Shettima has unabashedly stepped into Tinubu’s shoes without permission. He is assuming the role of a presidential candidate as of right. He is already set to overthrow Tinubu in the very unlikely event of their ticket sailing through. This should be of concern to those who care about what Tinubu is doing.
Shettima’s bitterness draws attention to the political philosophy of Waziri Ibrahim, who was the presidential candidate of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party during the Second Republic. Waziri preached politics without bitterness. He believed that electoral contest should not translate into enmity between the contestants. He did not just preach it, he lived it. His was a philosophy of accommodation; of letting beings be. That is what makes life go round.
Contrary to Shettima’s bitter disposition to politics and politicking, the expectation is that those who find themselves locking horns in an electoral contest should remain friends after the contest. They should be free to embrace one another the day after. The contest should not leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
Shettima must understand that bitterness and loose talk do not win elections. What will carry the day is capacity. But it is instructive to note that Shettima is not holding any ticket. He is trying to ride on the back of someone else. But whatever may be the case, Nigerians will assess the candidates on the basis of who they are. Bile and bad blood, which he is spewing, will be ultimately counterproductive.
Shettima should also know that Nigerians, after their disappointing experience with President Muhammadu Buhari, must be wary this time around. Nigerians need a candidate with national outlook not one who is already blacklisting some parts of the country. We saw it under Buhari, and it fractured the fabric of the country beyond measure. Nigerians can ill afford a repeat of the divisiveness that has kept them down.