Following his uncomplimentary remarks during a life television, the former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, has apologized to Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan.

Shettima, during the live television interview while comparing Odinbajo with his aspirant, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, described the Vice President as a nice man who should be selling ice cream and popcorn, saying nice men are not good leaders.

When he was reminded of the President of the Senate being in the race, Shettima said despite his academic attainment and legislative experience spanning almost 20 years, Lawan’s name can only remind people of a tomatoes-seller from Maiduguri and not a presidential material.

“Osinbajo is a good man; he’s a nice man. But nice men do not make good leaders, because nice men tend to be nasty. Nice men should be selling popcorn, ice cream," Shettima had said.

But in a statement personally signed by the former Governor, a copy of which was obtained by HorizonTimes, Shettima said the assessments of both Osinbajo and Lawan were well intended.

According to hi, the uncomplimentary remarks were not meant to denigrate or ridicule the personalities of the duo but aimed at stirring up interest in the contrasting virtues of aspirants challenging Tinubu.

While taking responsibilities over the remarks, Shettima said the interpretation of his words were being done literally and overblown, adding that the remarks were not meant to potray both the VC and Senate President unworthy aspirants, but to qualify them as non-threatening contenders.

Shettima said, “When I appeared on Channels TV last Thursday amidst the tension rippling through our political arena, it was to underline the promise Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential bid held for those yet to establish the certainty of the hurdle ahead of the APC.

“I never set out to denigrate the personality of any aspirant, and definitely not that of my dear friends and allies. None of them is an opponent, so their aspiration isn’t a threat to us.

“They appear so in the sprint to become the party’s presidential flag-bearer in the 2023 elections, but they are our allies in the marathon.

“My assessments of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, were well-intentioned. I never set out to subject them to ridicule but, rather, to stir up interest in the contrasting virtues of the cast of aspirants putting up a fight against my preferred aspirant, one most favoured and advantaged to guarantee APC’s victory in the forthcoming presidential election.

“The interpretations of my remarks on Professor Osinbajo and Senator Lawan are, thus, being done literally and overblown. My words weren’t woven to portray them as unworthy aspirants, but merely to qualify them as non-threatening contenders.

“I, however, take full responsibility for my utterances and wish to appeal to our teeming supporters to neither take my words out of their metaphoric contexts nor interpret them as a measure and declaration of hostility towards my dear friends and allies.

“I hereby tender my unreserved apologies to the Vice President and the President of the Senate for the unintended pains my jibes might have caused them and their families and supporters.”