Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to justify his claim of having the experience required to lead Nigeria.
Shettima insisted that presidential leadership should be measured by achievements, institutional development and the ability to groom successors rather than years spent in public office.
He also took a swipe at the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, accusing him of losing the goodwill he previously enjoyed among Nigerians through what he described as misleading claims and bogus statistics.
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He also cited Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007 and the political succession that produced former governors – Babatunde Fashola, Akinwunmi Ambode and Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The Vice President also questioned Atiku’s political influence in Adamawa State, his home state, citing the succession of governors since the return of democracy in 1999.
He maintained that a presidential aspirant seeking to unite Nigeria’s diverse population must demonstrate the capacity to resolve divisions within his political family, home state and sub-region.
He further criticised Atiku’s handling of the privatisation of national assets during the Obasanjo administration, alleging irregularities, corruption and procedural abuses.
However, Shettima maintained that Nigerians had the responsibility to scrutinise the records, achievements and shortcomings of all presidential aspirants, including President Tinubu.
“The presidency is not a retirement banquet for long years in politics. It is a responsibility that must be earned through ideas, competence, organisation, public confidence and demonstrable results,” he declared.
He added that political experience should translate into sound judgment, leadership should produce successors, enterprise should create lasting value, and political influence should build institutions capable of surviving beyond individual ambitions.
“The question is no longer how long you have been in politics; it is what your years in politics have built, whom you have raised, and what has endured. The records are there. Let Nigerians judge,” Shettima said.
He subsequently thanked the people of Akwa Ibom State for the warm reception accorded President Tinubu and his entourage, expressing confidence in the state’s political support for the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also expressed optimism that the state would experience greater development and enhanced opportunities from January 2027, before concluding his address with prayers for Akwa Ibom State and its people.
