The Deputy Speaker of Borno House of Assembly, Danlami Kubo, said on Tuesday that his state governor, Kashim Shettima, should be the next man to rule Nigeria at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.
The lawmaker said moves were being made to see that the candidacy of Mr. Shettima is accepted when the time comes for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to get President Buhari’s successor.
He was not specific on whether his wish for Mr. Shettima to succeed Buhari would be in 2019 or beyond. The Borno governor has also not declared any intention to run for president, while Mr. Buhari has not declared if he would seek a second term or not.
Mr. Kubo, who has represented Shani constituency of Borno in the State House of Assembly since 2007, heads the assembly’s Women Affairs committee.
He made this declaration during the flag-off of a three day entrepreneurial training for 10,000 selected widows and displaced women, which was organised by the federal government.
The lawmaker told the crowd that Borno State has continued to enjoy much patronage from the federal government because of the “good leadership qualities” of Mr. Shettima.
“We are more than serious about this project”, he said. “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 Mr. 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, Mr. 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.”
The Borno legislator also wanted more women involved in the state’s politics. He said as the chairman of the House committee on women affairs, he has been mobilising his colleagues and party leaders across the state to allow more women emerge as council chairmen in the coming council elections in the state.
“Honestly, the population of women in Borno State is more than that of the men”, he said. “Even the ratio of women that turn out to cast votes in most elections are higher than that of the men.
“As a matter of fact, 75 per cent of voters, especially in the rural areas are women.”
The lawmaker said despite women’s population, it was unfair there was no female council chairman or lawmaker in the state.
“I have been doing it on personal level and now I am involving my other 27 colleagues in the state house of assembly, and they have all agreed to join me in this campaign. That is the only way we could better empower our women folks,” he said.
