Shettima: Only Six Northern Governors Backed Tinubu in 2023 Election

Vice President Kashim Shettima has revealed that only six of Nigeria’s 19 northern governors supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential ambition during the 2023 general election, describing the victory as one achieved against considerable political resistance.

Shettima made the remarks in Ilorin, Kwara State, during the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate. Speaking before traditional rulers, governors and political leaders, the Vice President reflected on the tense political climate that preceded the 2023 presidential election.

According to him, Tinubu entered the race without the backing of the majority of northern governors despite the region’s political influence. Shettima said the President remained determined and refused to abandon his ambition even as several obstacles emerged during the campaign.

While acknowledging former Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as two of the governors who stood by Tinubu, Shettima declined to identify the remaining four supporters, saying he wished to avoid unnecessary controversy.

The Vice President also recalled the political slogan “Baba bayan sunshi”, a phrase he said reflected perceptions at the time that former President Muhammadu Buhari did not favour Tinubu’s candidacy. Shettima presented the slogan as part of the difficult political atmosphere surrounding the election, rather than as a confirmed position officially expressed by Buhari.

Beyond recounting the campaign, Shettima urged Nigerian politicians to treat elections as contests rather than permanent battles. He said one of the enduring lessons of 2023 was Tinubu’s decision to reconcile with political actors who did not support his bid after the election had been won.

“After the 2023 election, President Tinubu hugged and forgave all the northern governors that did not support him,” Shettima said, describing reconciliation as a hallmark of leadership and appealing to politicians in Kwara to close ranks after the All Progressives Congress primaries.

Tinubu was declared winner of the 2023 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission after polling 8,794,726 votes, ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. His victory came after one of Nigeria’s most competitive presidential contests, marked by intense regional and intra-party political negotiations.

Shettima’s comments offer a rare glimpse into the internal dynamics that shaped the APC’s path to power in 2023. As conversations around coalition-building and the 2027 political landscape gather momentum, the Vice President’s account underscores how alliances, and the willingness to mend them after elections, remain central to Nigeria’s evolving democratic politics.