Senator Kashim Shettima, the vice presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of neglecting to gauge public sentiment prior to selecting a presidential candidate.
The public anticipated that the PDP would choose a presidential candidate from the south given that its national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, is from the north.
But it was northerner and former vice president Atiku Abubakar who secured the party’s nomination.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony of the APC presidential manifesto yesterday, Shettima described PDP’s “presidential dream” as a “televised national circus”.
Shettima said: “His excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, proved to us once again that his integrity will never be on the shelf for any self-serving bidder, and his moral principle set in motion a chain of events that led to the consolidation of national interests, that paved the way for Asiwaju’s emergence as the presidential flag bearer.
“Unfortunately, the leading opposition party set out to exploit the nation’s rotational arrangement and refused to read the national mood. And this has long backfired and turned their presidential dream into a televised national circus.
“A presidential candidate that cannot put his own political house in order cannot aspire to lead the nation.”
He added that the APC has performed well and has the capacity to continue on the path of sustainable development.
“In just a few years, the APC has become a political paragon, bringing much older political organisations to their knees. This couldn’t have been possible without you, this beautiful village of progressive ideologues,” he said.
With Tinubu, he said, “Nigerians have found in the APC a Moses that will lead them to the Promise Land.”
