News
My Take On Shettima’s Unveiling
By: Inuwa Bwala
My father used to tell me about how life could be likened to the story of a man who took a piece of cloth to the tailors shop for sewing into a dress.
While waiting for the tailor to make the dress, the man took a sit inside the shop and was getting agitated as he watched the tailor shred the piece of cloth into pieces.
He wanted to stop the tailor at a point from further destroying his beautiful piece of cloth, but the tailor merely smiled and asked him to be patient and wait to the end.
The tailor put together the shred pieces and sewed them into place, and the man was happy at the end of the day, when the tailor presented him with a dress, more beautiful than he initially envisaged.
This could be the story of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Kashim Shettima presidency. The present noise will subside when they assume leadership and give Nigerians a better type of leadership we do not envisage.
For reasons beyond my control, I could not make it to Abuja for the official unveiling of my boss, Senator Kashim Shettima as the Presidential running mate of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Presidential candidate of the APC yesterday. But I did not miss the essential details of the event; courtesy of the presence of my colleagues who fed me with minute by minute accounts of developments at the venue.
Of all that happened, including the presence of Christian clerics, which people are trying to over dramatize: Kashim Shettima’s acceptance speech, which also unmasked the sense of nationalism in him, forms the climax of his unveiling.
Those who try to make issues out of developments at the sidelines, to wit castigating clergymen who attended, risk an opportunity of the excursion into Shettima’s person, character and disposition to the Nigeria project.
Listening to Shettima as he delivered his address from my room, I know that the speech was personally scripted by him, and it captures the honest inner convictions of the man Shettima, much more than the flow of oratory aesthetics .
As a Christian who has known and worked with Kashim Shettima, I know the flow of his thoughts and the concord between his thought and inner contemplations and I was convinced that he meant every sentence of that speech from the bottom of his heart.
People may have the right to protest their perceived exclusion from the process, but I know, that, Shettima may not be the culprit people try to paint, in the unfolding political debate about Muslim/Muslim Ticket of the APC.
In his characteristic oratorical eloquence, Shettima took the audience, including his most virulent critics present on a mental excursion of Nationalism, patriotism, peace and national unity, above primordial sentiments, that have trailed his emergence as Tinubu’s running mate.
Even as I watched him speak, I could not help smiling and even clapping all alone in the room, with the mesmerizing eloquence of the Vice Presidential candidate.
Beyond the stories he told of his relationship with other people from the Christian faith in particular, one can cite many other instances where Shettima displayed rare show of love, tolerance and statesmanship in his dealings.
I firmly believe that, Kashim Shettima’s demonstrable sense of nationalism, far outweighs his faith as a Muslim, and the days ahead, and perhaps events after he may have been sworn in will tend to vindicate our views, that, Shettima is a more religiously and ethnically tolerant leader than most of those who seek to crucify him, for no particular offence.
I stand to be corrected, but I feel Shettima has showed more inclination trying to carry Christians along, in a predominant Muslim society like Borno, more than any other leader in the State.
I recall Shettima was the first to appoint two Christian Commissioners into his cabinet: including Honorable Ishaku Joshua Shara and my humble self. He had three permanent Secretaries: Dr Haruna Mshelia, currently at the National Assembly, Barrister Simon Malgwi, the current Head of Service and Dr. Barka Amaza.
If ones antecedents are yardsticks for testings ones level of commitment to a cause and tolerance if others, Shettima’s pedigree, gives him an edge over many others, who pay lip service to issues of tolerance.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain the status quo in a dispute over the party’s candidates emerging from the Benue State APC primaries for the 2027 general election.
The order was made on Thursday by Justice Inyang Ekwo during proceedings in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1429/2026, filed by Engr. Sesugh Akaagba and other aggrieved APC candidates from Benue State against the APC and INEC.
The plaintiffs had, through an ex parte motion filed on July 5, 2026, sought six interim reliefs, including an order restraining the APC from substituting its validly nominated candidates in Benue State through its June 29, 2026 correspondence, or any subsequent communication, to INEC, pending determination of the substantive suit.
They also sought an order compelling the APC to immediately transmit to INEC the names of candidates validly nominated during the primaries monitored by the electoral commission.
When the matter first came up on July 8, 2026, the court declined to grant the interim application immediately, directing both APC and INEC to appear and respond before any decision was taken. The matter was adjourned to July 16.
At Thursday’s proceedings, counsel representing the APC and INEC were present in court, while the plaintiffs were represented by Mohammed Ndarani, SAN, alongside his legal team.
In his ruling, Justice Ekwo held that since issues had been joined by the parties particularly with INEC now before the court, the defendants were required by law to preserve the subject matter of the litigation pending determination of the substantive suit.
When counsel to the plaintiffs urged the court to caution APC and INEC against taking any further action that could affect the disputed list of candidates, the judge responded that it was “not a matter of advice but of law,” stressing that the defendants were bound to maintain the status quo.
The court consequently restrained APC and INEC from taking any action capable of altering the disputed list of candidates pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
The defendants did not object to the restraining order.
At the commencement of proceedings, the court noted that all parties had voluntarily submitted to its jurisdiction by duly filing and exchanging their respective processes.
It held that there was no procedural or jurisdictional impediment to the expeditious determination of the substantive action, and directed that the matter be heard without further delay.
In furtherance of the objective of preserving the res and safeguarding the efficacy of the judicial process, the court ordered all parties to maintain the status quo pending the hearing and final determination of the substantive suit, restraining any act or omission capable of prejudicing the rights of the parties or rendering the proceedings nugatory.
The court further directed that INEC be served forthwith with the originating and all consequential processes.
The effect of the subsisting order is that INEC is restrained from tampering with the existing list of candidates pending final determination of the suit, and from receiving, recognising, or acting upon any purported substituted list of National Assembly candidates from Benue State submitted by the APC.
The matter was adjourned to July 21, 2026, for hearing of the substantive suit.
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former First Lady Patience Ibifaka Jonathan recently celebrated a significant family milestone as they attended the graduation ceremony of their son, Ariara Goodluck Jonathan, at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
The proud parents joined family members and well-wishers to witness Ariara receive his degree, marking the successful completion of his academic programme. The occasion was filled with joy as the Jonathan family commemorated the achievement, highlighting the importance they place on education and personal development.
The graduation ceremony attracted warm congratulatory messages from friends, associates, and admirers, who wished the graduate continued success in his future endeavours.
The Following names joined the political family of Sen. Dr. George Akume today after leaving the sinking Alia ship .
Under the leadership of Barr. Emmanuel Jime .
The are ;
Chief Nelson Alapa
Douglas pepe SAN senatorial Aspirant zone A,
Engr Peter Ashiekaa
QS Clement Beetseh
Former commissioners
Joy Luga
Ann itodo
Barr martins Shaagee
Miss Dorcas
Prof Usar Joseh
Prof Cephas Tushima
Chief Patrick Idoko
Hon Patience Akor
Hon Fred Idoko
Hon Lawrence Ekpo Onoja Jnr
Hon Andrew Abah
Hon Agbo Innocent Ikwumonu
Hon Simon Omachoko
Hon David Egboja
Dr John Garba
Among together,
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