The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate, sealing his preference for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
According to Presidential aide, Buhari Sallau, Tinubu announced the choice of Shettima to journalists in Katsina on Sunday, hours after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari alongside Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari.
Governo Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State had on Saturday revealed that Tinubu had settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Tinubu earlier chose Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, as placeholder for the vice-presidential slot.
Shettima is an outspoken Muslim politician from the Kanuri tribe from Borno State.
In 1993, he moved into the banking sector and was employed by (now defunct) Commercial Bank of Africa Limited as head of accounts unit at the bank’s office in Ikeja, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria. Shettima was there from 1993 to 1997.
He was born in Maiduguri on September 2, 1966.
Kashim attended Lamisula Primary School in Maiduguri from 1972 to 1978; Government Community Secondary School, Biu in southern part of Borno State from 1978 to 1980; transferred to Government Science Secondary School, Potiskum (now in neighbouring Yobe State) where he completed his secondary education in 1983.
He studied at the University of Maiduguri and earned a Degree (BSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1989.
He obtained a Master’s degree (MSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1991 at the University of Ibadan in Southwest, Nigeria. Shettima joined the University of Maiduguri as a Lecturer with the Department of Agricultural Economics and was in the academia from 1991 to 1993.
From 2007 to 2011, he served as Commissioner in five ministries.
He was Commissioner of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs (2008), Education (2009), Agriculture and Natural Resources and finally to the Ministry of Health from where he contested the Governorship in 2011 which he won under the platform of the now defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party and was inaugurated on May 29, 2011.
He won reelection in 2015 under the All Progressives Congress and was chosen as Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, an umbrella body of Governors in the 19 States located in northern Nigeria.