By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has rejected calls for President Bola Tinubu to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2027 general election, warning that such a move would amount to a grave political miscalculation with far-reaching consequences.
The warning comes amid renewed speculation within the ruling party following the omission of Shettima’s photograph from a banner displayed at the North-East Zonal Public Hearing on the amendment of the APC constitution in Maiduguri. The banner featured President Tinubu, five APC governors from the zone and the party’s National Legal Adviser, fuelling debate over Shettima’s political future and the sustainability of the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027.
In the wake of the incident, some party stakeholders have argued for a change in the ticket, suggesting that Shettima be replaced with a Christian from the North, with pressure reportedly coming from sections of the North-Central.
However, the North-Central APC Forum distanced itself from such calls, insisting that removing Shettima would endanger the party’s electoral fortunes and undermine President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the Forum said it had no interest in the vice-presidential slot, stressing that the North-Central is focused on contesting the presidency in 2031, after Tinubu’s tenure.
The Forum cautioned against injecting religious sentiments into political calculations, arguing that the North currently lacks a Christian candidate with sufficient grassroots support, national appeal and political structure to effectively complement Tinubu as a running mate.
“There is serious danger in changing a winning ticket. We totally and unequivocally reject calls and plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the next election. Such a decision would amount to a grievous political miscalculation,” the statement said.
According to the Forum, dropping the Muslim-Muslim ticket would hand a strategic advantage to the opposition in 2027. It argued that President Tinubu would not gain new votes by replacing Shettima, but would instead lose significant support in the North, particularly among core voters.
The group further noted that even if an opposition coalition backed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presents Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, changing Tinubu’s running mate would not significantly alter voting patterns among northern minorities, many of whom, it said, would still support Obi regardless of the vice-presidential choice.
The Forum also insisted that those calling for Shettima’s removal did not contribute to Tinubu’s victory in 2023 and were unlikely to support him in 2027 even if their demands were met.
“Basic political calculation shows that dropping Shettima makes no sense and is actually very dangerous,” the Forum warned, adding that such a move would shrink Tinubu’s vote base and strengthen the opposition.
It also dismissed suggestions that international actors, including the United States and other Western powers, could pressure Nigeria to abandon the Muslim-Muslim ticket, insisting that Nigeria is a sovereign nation that should not bow to foreign influence.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket gave us victory in 2023. Nigeria is an independent nation and nobody is going to dictate to us,” the statement said, cautioning that external interference could undermine democracy and trigger avoidable political tensions.
The Forum urged President Tinubu to maintain the status quo and retain Vice President Shettima, describing continuity as the safest and most politically sound path to victory in the 2027 presidential election.
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