The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, said that he considered principles that determine victory in politics in his choice of running mate in the 2023 general election.
Tinubu said that decisions on the team around him and those he works with are guided by principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness and adherence to excellence.
This was made known by Tinubu at the official unveiling ceremony of his vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, a former 2-term governor of Borno state, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
Tinubu at the ceremony which also had in attendance APC stalwarts, including the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, said that in politics, those principles he had mentioned are sacrosanct and non-negotiable.
Tinubu, who promised to work with his vice presidential candidate, alongside his team, to change the country for the better, said, “We will change this country for the better.
“All my life, my decision regarding the team around me and those I work with are guided by principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness and adherence to excellence.
“In politics those principles are sacrosanct. They are not negotiable. Without them, there can be no victory or joy.
“This is where politics must end and leadership must begin. True leadership is not grounded in religious pandering, populism or sentiment. To forge ahead as a nation toward development and prosperity, we must, instead, break the shackles of old thinking.”
Meanwhile, there are reports that despite opposition from various interest and religious groups, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), over the Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC, pastors and bishops from different Christian denominations were present at the venue of the unveiling ceremony to the amazement of the journalists that were covering the event.
Various religious bodies had been reported to have urged Christian leaders to boycott the unveiling ceremony of Kashim Shettima as the APC vice presidential candidate to drive home the point of their grievances.
