The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has finally personally revealed why President Bola Tinubu removed Kano indigene Maryam ‘Shetty’ Shettima from his ministerial nominee list.
Social media was abuzz on Friday after Shetty was removed from the second batch of the ministerial nominees and replaced with Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure, also a Kano indigene.
Shetty’s replacement is said to have served as a commissioner when Ganduje was governor. She is also alleged to be a very close friend of the ex-governor’s family.
Giving clarifications on what led to Shetty’s removal from the ministerial nominee list, the former Governor of Kano State said social media outrage that trailed her appointment was instrumental to the action.
He added that the nominee was not well known to them in the APC camp; hence the stakeholders could not appraise her.
“The president has advisors on the selection of ministerial nominees at the national and state levels. The president has the prerogative to nominate whomever he wishes, and he has the right to consult people in states because they know those capable of discharging the duties.
“Maryam Shetty’s name emerged from the top, and since Mr President has the right to do as he wishes and we are his followers, one has to be patient; we did not object to it. As well, she was not well-known to us. We could not appraise her.
“But suddenly, she (Maryam Shetty) came under attack on social media. People questioned her integrity and experience, with many of them doubting her credentials to represent Kano at the national level. There were growing disaffections. The dissatisfaction is not from Ganduje, but the people of Kano,” said Ganduje during an interview with selected radio stations in Kano on Saturday.
The APC National Chairman added that President Tinubu’s attention was drawn to the torrent of criticisms that greeted Shetty’s nomination, and immediately, he asked whether “I had nominated Mary Shetty. I said no. He asked how then her name appeared on the list. I told him I had no idea whatsoever.
“When he asked whether there was a need to replace her, I answered in affirmative because the ministerial slot requires someone with integrity, knowledge, experience and commitment to the party – what one contributed to the making of the Tinubu administration. To satisfy these requirements, we are in the best position to nominate somebody from Kano. Even if someone recommended somebody, we should have been consulted on the matter.
“For this, we were given a chance to nominate someone from Kano, and since the slot was meant for a female, we consulted widely. Females contributed to our development agenda in Kano State. Dr. Mariya Bunkure, my commissioner for higher education, is a certified medical doctor.
“Kano South had been complaining about marginalization, even though I gave them SSG and other important political offices. These are some of the reasons we gave her name.”
“But at least we are happy because the people of Kano are happy with the current development. The clarification is not to insult anybody but to tell the truth of what exactly happened. People questioned her suitability; that was why he was dropped, but that does not mean she will not get another appointment,” he added.