President Muhammadu Buhari is currently hosting stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, led by the party’s vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, at the State House, Abuja.

However, the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was absent at the meeting.

Present at the meeting are the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu; Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; Governors of Borno, Yobe, Nasarawa, Gombe — Babagana Zulum, Mai Mala Buni, Abdullahi Sule and Yahaya Inuwa, respectively.

Also present are the APC Deputy National Chairman South, Emma Enuku; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Idris Wada; former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, among others.

The stakeholders meeting is coming two days after Shettima was unveiled as Tinubu’s substantive running mate.

The former Borno State governor, who was at the Villa to see Buhari on Wednesday, told journalists that he “felt morally bound” to thank the President personally, before returning with a larger delegation on Friday.

Reacting to agitations over the Muslim-Muslim ticket floated by his party, he said the APC ticket is not designed to protect the interests of one faith as there are religious leaders to do that.

In Borno, we spent over N1 billion naira rebuilding churches destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgency. And this legacy has been continued by Governor Babagana Zulum.

“We have taken more Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem than some of the northern states headed by Christians.

“So, we have that history of inclusivity, of togetherness. What we need is competent leadership.

“We are not coming into government to represent the Muslim or the Christian faith.

“The Sultan of Sokoto is eminently qualified to protect Muslim interests and the CAN president is eminently qualified to defend Christian interests as well,” he said.