As the general elections for 2027 approach, Vice President Kashim Shettima has jokingly warned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to expect more verbal clashes.
According to accounts, the second Nigerian citizen said this at a conference in Abuja.
He was celebrating the 60th birthday of Kayode Fayemi, the former governor of Ekiti State, and honoring a number of dignitaries, including Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2023 presidential contender.
Shettima humorously referred to himself as a “adjunct provocateur” who took “hot shots” at Atiku in the 2023 presidential contest.
He did concede, though, that Atiku had handled the attacks well as a revered senior statesman.
Interestingly, Shettima revealed that in their private conversations, he lovingly calls Atiku “Baba,” which translates to “father” in Hausa.
Shettima humorously implied that Atiku should prepare for more verbal insults in the future despite this cute phrase.
Atiku himself smiled as the audience regarded this discussion to be amusing.
Shettima also urged all leaders, irrespective of their party affiliations, to unite during his speech.
Read Also: 2027 Election: ‘Expect More Political Attacks’ – Shettima to Atiku
He underlined that rather than depending on outside projects, African leaders have to embrace indigenous development solutions.
The tragedy of our day is that African leaders have not only stuck to Western models but have also refused to employ hashtag activism to free themselves from client-state mindsets and governance.
“Regardless of our disagreements on the continent, the reality that we live in the age of machines cannot be undermined by our internal strife.
Furthermore, we cannot use spears and arrows to solve our development conundrum while the rest of the world uses tanks and missiles to do the same. Shettima said, “The world is not waiting for Africa to catch up.”
