Tinubu as democracy hero assisted Atiku, others – Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the unsung hero of Nigeria’s democracy, saying the president remained a political sanctuary for politicians like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and others.

Speaking at the 2024 Democracy Day lecture to celebrate the 25th anniversary of democracy in Nigeria at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, Shettima also said Tinubu is “the fulcrum of opposition against the enthronement of one-party dictatorships in the country.”

He noted that the president has suffered under the then-ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and has assisted many politicians in the country.

He listed some of them as Atiku Abubakar, Olusegun Mimiko in Ondo, Rauf Aregbesola in Osun, and Adams Oshiomole in Edo, and contended that President Tinubu has remained a political sanctuary for those victimised over the years.

“When former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was harassed, intimidated, dehumanised and chased out of the PDP, it was to Bourdillon that he ran, and it was the Lion of Bourdillon that gave him the political structure to contest the presidency under Action Congress. His choice of Northerners to fly his party’s flag underlined his credentials. Four years later, he also provided his platform for Nuhu Ribadu,” he said.

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Shettima’s latest statement comes on the heels of the back and forth between him and Atiku on President Tinubu’s role in the former VP’s political career.