Vice President Kashim Shettima has clarified his recent remarks regarding the support of northern governors for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said his reference to six northern governors who supported Tinubu was specifically about political consultations and alignments before the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential primary in June 2022.

The statement said: “It was not a comment on the position of northern APC governors following President Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s candidate, nor was it intended to question their support during the 2023 presidential election.

“Following the presidential primary, APC governors in the North rallied around the party’s candidate and played important roles in the campaign and electoral efforts that culminated in President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 general election.”

Shettima added that he holds the northern governors and other leaders of the APC in high regard, and recognizes their individual and collective contributions to the success of the party and the emergence of President Tinubu.

According to the statement, the Vice President regretted “any interpretation of his remarks that may have suggested otherwise” and hopes the clarification places his comments in their proper context.

Shettima further appreciated the Nigerian media for its professionalism and engagement with his office, urging journalists to maintain accuracy and provide context when reporting public remarks as the country approaches another political season.

Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has urged Nigerian youths to take control of their neighbourhoods, streets and polling units ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

He said this during his discussion with the Confederation of African Youths in Abuja.

Adebayo said Nigerian youths need to be more assertive ahead of the January 16, 2027, presidential election if they want a change of government.

According to him, politics in Nigeria transcends vocabulary and academic qualifications and requires active participation on the ground.

Adebayo stressed that a better Nigeria is attainable if youths take the bull by the horns across polling units on election day.

“Politics is done in the neighborhoods. One hundred and sixty-six thousand eight hundred and seventy-four polling units. Any amount of command of English that you have that does not convince your neighbor about how they are going to vote.

“So we must go back to the streets and own it. Insincerity of purpose is what made the generation before us not to see the Promised Land.

“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It’s a game of the heart. Because the burden of politics is not easy,” he said.

DAILY POST reports that Adebayo is seeking the presidency in the 2027 election under the SDP. INEC has scheduled the Presidential/House of Assembly election for January 16, 2027.