Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been fuming over the decision of former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who is also the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to pick former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate.
Credible sources in the APC told Daily Independent that the APC leadership was trying to manage the issue so that it would not blow open like that of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In the APC, the list of potential running mates was narrowed to el-Rufai from the North-West and Shettima from the North-East. While many had thought Tinubu would settle for el-Rufai, the former Lagos State governor announced Shettima.
It was gathered that the northern APC governors had agreed that based on the role they played in his emergence as APC flag bearer, especially the communique they issued declaring support for power shift to South, Tinubu should pick one of them as his running mate.
It was equally gathered that Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, who is the chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, was penciled down if Tinubu decides to fly a Muslim-Christian ticket.
But when it was obvious that he wanted a fellow Muslim as his running mate, Shettima and el-Rufai were shortlisted and without consulting with the governors, Tinubu opted for the former Borno governor who is one of his staunch loyalists.