Delta State governor and vice-presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has faulted statement by Kashim Shettima, the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice -presidential candidate that he would be in charge of security, while Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate, would be in charge of the economy if the APC is elected into power in 2023.
Shettima, who was a panelist at the just-concluded Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday last week in Lagos, stunned the audience when he said he would personally lead the Nigerian military against criminals while his principal, Bola Tinubu, will oversee the economy.
“I have been in the theatre of conflicts for 18 years, I will lead the troops, my principal is an economy wizard who has transformed Lagos into the third largest economy in Africa. He will concentrate on the economy.
“By God’s grace, I will handle the security, and not only handle the security, I will lead the troops to battle across the length and breadth of this country,” he said.
But on Sunday, PDP head of digital, Anthony Ehilebo, warned that Nigeria cannot afford to leave Shettima in charge of the nation’s security owing to his antecedents.
“How come you come to the NBA programme and announce on live TV that you will take care of security and your principal will handle the economy?
“Section 130(2) of the 1999 Constitution specifies that it is the role of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. And if he decides to delegate the power, it must be to the armed forces. But here we have a VP candidate telling the world he wants to be in charge of our security.
“This is the same man in charge when the issue of Chibok Girls happened. Shettima ignored the directive to move the students and the terrorists took advantage.
“It is also a fact that a suspected terrorist, Kabiru Sokoto, was arrested in the Governor’s Lodge by the DSS. Today, we have not been able to dissociate him from all that. Unfortunately, Nigerians are more interested in his sneakers and what he wore to the NBA than his statement,”he said.
But coming to Shettima’s defense on the same programme, a political economist and member of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Ayo Oyalowo, said Shettima’s speech was blown out of context.
But intervening on the comment in a video shared on social media, Okowa noted that it’s absurd for Shettima to suggest that he would be in charge of security as vice president.
He wondered if Shettima would then be the one to preside over security council meeting, instead of the president if they are voted into power.
