Nigeria, July 16 -- Vice President Kashim Shettima cannot be blamed for having doubts about whether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would renominate him as his running mate for a second term.

As governor of Lagos State for eight years, Tinubu used three deputies: Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, Femi Pedro, and Abiodun Ogunleye. Only Senate President Godswill Akpabio (as Akwa Ibom governor) matched this record in the last 27 years. Whether it was a matter of style, chemistry or vision, Governor Tinubu always had a reason to change his deputies. In Shettima's case, history was not the only reason for concern.

Some desperately wanted his job from the start. A few were party stalwarts, like embattled former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who sources said...