Vice President Shettima reveals what he will buy for Atiku when he retires him from politics

Vice President Shettima reveals what he will buy for Atiku when he retires him from politics

As wide reactions continue to trail the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) which reaffirmed the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election, Vice-president Kasshim Shettima has said he would buy the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, a goat in a bid to pacify him.

It will be recalled that in apparent dissatisfaction with INEC’s pronouncement of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential poll, both Atiku and the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had approached the court to seek redress.

But in its ruling on Wednesday, the PEPT nailed the prayers of both men, saying it lacked merit and legal basis for tangible arguments.

But while addressing reporters shortly after the court judgement, the vice-president said, ”Atiku Abubakar is an elder statesman that I hold in very high esteem and anybody who knows the social cultural interaction between the Fulanis and the Kanuris in the North will know that I have the liberty to haul all insults at him and he will bear.

”We are not going to retire him to Dubai or Morroco, I will retire him to Fombina, I will buy him goats, broilers and layers so that he can spend his days rearing goats and broilers.”

However, Shettima made it clear that he said that on a lighter note.

It will be recalled that when he hosted the APC National Integrity Movement, a support group, in Abuja in the buildup to the election, Shettima had described Atiku as a “political tourist” who returns to the country every election cycle.

“Atiku Abubakar is like a father to me and I hold him in high esteem. But he is a political tourist who is only in this country’s electoral circle and we are going to retire him back to Dubai to go and relax. In every situation, for people to see your worth, they need to see your output at home. I am from the North East – he is from the North East.

“Atiku cannot point to three projects that he brought to the north-east or to Northern Nigeria for the eight years that he served as the vice president. He cannot show us three people that he has mentored,” Shettima had said.

Before cracking the joke on Atiku, Shettima had earlier told journalists that Tinubu was happy with the outcome of the ruling.

“My principal, President Bola Tinubu is eternally indebted to the Nigerian people and to the leadership of the party who have been here since 9 a.m.

“Our energetic chairman and national secretary of the party, members of the national assembly, ministers have all been here.

”One cannot adequately convey our debt of gratitude to the Nigerian people, my principal will issue a formal statement but we felt compelled to talk to you having spent nearly 14 to 15 hours in this chambers. There is dignity of every person that we need to honour and cherish. We want to thank you; the journey is just beginning and we want to call on Nigerians, let us unite,” he said.

“What binds us together supersedes whatever divides us, let us unite as a people and face our common challenges. As I have always said, the trajectory of global growth is facing Africa and Nigeria the greatest black nation on earth will make or mar that trajectory.’’