Posted on: 06:10 Thu, 23 Feb 2017

Just as millions of Nigerians await for President Muhamamdu Buhari's return from his extended vacation in the United Kingdom, a lawmaker has made revelations on an ongoing plan for a possible successor of the president



While speaking during the flag-off of a 3-day entrepreneurial training for 10,000 selected widows and displaced women, on Tuesday, the Deputy Speaker of Borno House of Assembly, Danlami Kubo, said that his state governor, Kashim Shettima, should be the next man to rule Nigeria at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

According to Premium Times, the lawmaker said moves were being made to see that the candidacy of Shettima is accepted when the time comes for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to get President Buhari’s successor.

Kubo, who has represented Shani constituency of Borno in the State House of Assembly since 2007, and heads the assembly’s Women Affairs committee, told the crowd that Borno State has continued to enjoy much patronage from the federal government because of the
“good leadership qualities” of Shettima.

He said; “We are more than serious about this project. Our governor has been very exemplary in his stewardship especially of a state that is faced with the daunting challenges of insurgency.”

“It is only few people that could remain calm and focused as chief executive of a state at a time when more than half of his state was being taken over by Boko Haram, millions of people displaced, thousands killed and properties worth billions of naira destroyed. And these are happening all through his tenure.

“And that did not make him shy away from his primary responsibility as well as other national responsibilities”.

The lawmaker said Shettima’s emergence as chairman of the 19 northern governors’ forum was an icing on his cake of eligibility to succeed President Buhari.

“Even as the chairman of the northern governors’ forum, His Excellency Governor Shettima has continued to shine as a true leader. Since he became the chairman of the NGF, the forum has been more organised and transformed. And this means that if he is given the opportunity to lead this country, he would do so effectively. Besides, from his achievements in Borno state speaks volume. He has never for once abdicated his roles even for once."

He said if given the chance to lead Nigeria, Shettima would not discriminate against anyone. “Kashim Shettima has no kind of negative biases at all. He is a man that can unite this country and take it beyond the heights that out able President Buhari is taking us to now.

“He has shown us in Borno state that both Christians and Muslims are one; and he does that during all the festive seasons by visiting the Muslims and even the Christians in southern Borno during the Christmas time. That is the kind of leader we want to succeed our father, President Buhari.”