Yemi Obafemi
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has denied claims that opposition governors were pressured into defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying their decisions were made voluntarily.
Shettima stated this on Wednesday during an interfaith breaking of fast hosted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and attended by federal ministers.
According to him, the ruling party is now in a stronger political position compared to the period leading up to the 2023 elections.
“The political season is around the corner. I will ask you. I am imploring all of us; we are all political animals. We have to sell our government. Politically speaking, we are in a more comfortable position now than in 2023,” he said.
The Vice-President insisted that governors from several states who joined the APC did so willingly.
“And nobody has hand twisted the governors of Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Kano, Adamawa, Taraba, or Enugu to join the APC. It’s of their own volition because they have seen the light,” he stated.
Shettima also criticised the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), alleging that its online membership registration portal was overwhelmed by fictitious entries shortly after it was launched.
“The same alliance for democratic confusion that was adamant that we should have electronic transmission of votes. They opened their portal for the registration of new members, and it was overwhelmed by the avalanche of fake names, fictitious identities, and so on,” he said.
Quoting former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Shettima added, “Truth is so precious that it has to be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies.”
