Vice President Kashim Shettima said Monday that his remarks in support of the candidacy of Senator Godswill Akpabio as President of the 10th Senate were twisted by agents of division.
In a statement issued by the Director of Information in the Office of the Vice President, Abiola Sola, Shettima said his support for Akpabio was not to look down on anybody or a section of the country but to underline the importance of diversity and justice.
“During an interactive session with senators campaigning for the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Barau Jibrin to lead the 10th Senate, yesterday, Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized the nation’s current political structure and made a case for the emergence of a Southern Christian and a Northern Muslim as the fairest balance to promote inclusivity at the centre.
“Senator Shettima’s statement was motivated by a profound awareness of the divisive factors within our great nation and was in harmony with the governing party’s pledge to ensure inclusivity across all regions and among all groups,” the statement said.
The statement said Shettima’s statement was “stripped of context and mischievously circulated as an attempt to minimize the suitability of Muslim contestants in the race for the Senate leadership.”
The statement reads: “The remarks have not only been taken out of context but also misinterpreted to suit an agenda that sabotages our collective bid for unity.
“What Senator Shettima advocated during the meeting was that, considering Nigeria’s President and Vice President are Muslims, it would not be ill-advised for the lawmakers to choose a non-Muslim contestant, even if against a more qualified Muslim option, in order to achieve balance.
“It is alarming that such an unambiguous plea has been unfairly misconstrued to imply that the Vice President said the most incompetent Christian candidate is superior to a Muslim candidate. One can understand why this absurd interpretation would be found distressing and hijacked by those with a malicious agenda to push.”
