The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has met with Speakers of States Houses of Assemblies elected on his party’s platform.
The meeting, which held on Saturday in Abuja, gave him the platform to assure the Speakers of his religious tolerance.
It was also to assure the Speakers of active roles in his campaigns ahead of 2023 general elections, a statement issued by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, said.
Other speakers at the meeting included Olakunke Oluomo of Ogun State, Idris Garba of Jigawa State, Kennedy Ibeh of Imo State, Eteng Williams of Cross River State, Funminiyi Afuye of Ekiti State and Oleyelogun Bamidele of Ondo State.
Others were Abdulkarim Lawan of Borno State, Abdullahi Bawa Wuse of Niger State, Ahmed Lawan Mirwa of Yobe State, Musa Maigari of Katsina State and Siddi Buba, Deputy Speaker of Gombe State.
Tinubu commended the Speakers for the earlier roles they played ahead of his emergence as the presidential flag bearer of the party.
He also used the opportunity to explain why he chose Kashim Shettima, a former Governor of Borno State, to be his running mate.
The APC Speakers had visited Tinubu to congratulate him on his victory at the party’s recent special convention where he was elected candidate.
They also pledged to support him ahead of the general elections.
While appreciating the Speakers, Tinubu, who noted the tasks ahead of 2023, assured them of roles to play in the campaign.
According to him, Shettima was finally chosen as his running mate after wide consultations and some considerations.
He described Shettima as a patriotic and passionate man with the capacity to serve.
Tinubu explained that since the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, is from the North Central, it was just right to look at another zone, especially the North East, for his running mate.
He praised the President, Muhammadu Buhari, for his magnanimity and understanding on the issue of the selection of Shettima as a running mate, just as he appealed to Nigerians to see beyond religion in their quest to strengthen democracy and make Nigeria successful.
“I am a Muslim married to a Christian, a pastor,” he said, noting his flexibility to spiritual ideologies.