By Abuja’s Joseph Erunke
Calls for President Bola Tinubu to remove Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2027 general election have been rejected by the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum, which cautioned that doing so would be a serious political error with far-reaching ramifications.
The warning coincides with fresh conjecture within the ruling party after Shettima’s picture was left off of a banner at the North-East Zonal Public Hearing on the APC constitution revision in Maiduguri. President Tinubu, five APC governors from the zone, and the party’s National Legal Advisor were included on the banner, which sparked discussion about Shettima’s political future and the viability of the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027.
Following the incident, some party members have called for a change in the ticket, proposing that a Christian from the North take Shettima’s place. There has allegedly been pressure from parts of the North-Central.
The North-Central APC Forum, however, disassociated itself from such demands, arguing that Shettima’s removal would jeopardize the party’s electoral prospects and jeopardize President Tinubu’s attempt to win reelection.
The Forum stated that it had no interest in the vice-presidential position in a statement released on Thursday and signed by its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga. The statement emphasized that the North-Central is concentrated on running for president in 2031, following Tinubu’s term.
The Forum warned against incorporating religious beliefs into political calculations, claiming that there isn’t currently a Christian candidate in the North with the political structure, national appeal, and grassroots support to successfully back Tinubu as a running mate.
“Changing a winning ticket carries a significant risk. Calls and preparations to remove Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the upcoming election are categorically rejected by us. According to the statement, making such a choice would be a grave political error.
The Forum claims that abandoning the Muslim-Muslim ticket would give the opposition a tactical edge in 2027. It said that by removing Shettima, President Tinubu would lose a lot of support in the North, especially among core voters, rather than gaining more votes.
The group also pointed out that altering Tinubu’s running mate would not materially change voting patterns among northern minorities, many of whom, it claimed, would still support Obi regardless of the vice-presidential choice, even if an opposition coalition supported by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presented Peter Obi as its presidential candidate.
Additionally, the Forum maintained that those who demanded Shettima’s departure had no role in Tinubu’s triumph in 2023 and were unlikely to back him in 2027 even if their demands were fulfilled.
The Forum cautioned that “basic political calculation shows that dropping Shettima makes no sense and is actually very dangerous,” noting that doing so would reduce Tinubu’s base of support and bolster the opposition.
Additionally, it rejected claims that other actors, such as the US and other Western nations, may put pressure on Nigeria to drop the Muslim-Muslim ticket, arguing that Nigeria is an independent country that shouldn’t submit to outside influence.
“We won in 2023 thanks to the Muslim-Muslim ticket. The statement warned that outside meddling might threaten democracy and lead to needless political unrest. “Nigeria is an independent nation and nobody is going to dictate to us,” it stated.
The Forum described continuity as the safest and most politically sound route to success in the 2027 presidential election and advised President Tinubu to keep things as they are and keep Vice President Shettima.
