Written by Jimitota Onoyume
In the 2027 presidential election, President Bola Tinubu has been advised not to choose Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
In an interview with the Vanguard, Arewa leader in the south, Alhaji Musa Saidu, warned that the president should resist pressure to change the vice president since doing so may erode his support base in the north.
“The President should keep Vice President Kashim Shetima if his removal will cause issues for him.
It might not be a wise political move for Mr. President to fire Shetima. “This is my honest recommendation,” he stated.
In order to increase his base of support before the general elections, Saidu, a fervent admirer of the president, also asked him to go beyond the pledges made by party officials and northern governors.
He claimed that several of the party leaders and governors who promised the president a lot of votes in the north don’t have the political clout they claim in the press.
We love Mr. President, which is why we are speaking. Since we are on the street, we are aware of people’s emotions.
“What a few influential All Progressives Congress (APC) members are telling him could not be accurate. While they tell us one thing, they tell him another. The people Mr. President believes are in power up north aren’t actually there.
“The president shouldn’t depend on the opinions of the northern party leaders. If he does, the results might surprise him. I’m shouting because I’m really interested in Mr. President’s reelection.
“For 2027, Mr. President ought to look outside the party leaders.
Despite certain governors defecting to the APC, he shouldn’t lose touch with his original supporters nationwide. Since some of the governors who joined the APC can surprise Mr. President, he should stay in touch with his known supporters.
“The president ought to concentrate on the people who helped him win his first election. He ought to speak with the unhappy team members who worked for him.
“I was in Katsina for the Islamic conference. The president ought to look past promises made in the press. Additionally, I attended the Kaduna conference and foundation for the General Hassan Katsina Memorial. I am aware of what certain northern leaders told me during the events.
“He should keep in mind that some of Jonathan’s party leaders allegedly conspired against him during his election,” he said.
Some of the ambassadors and coordinators who have been assigned to support the president’s reelection in their regions might not be able to deliver, according to Saidu.
“We recall how, in the previous election, former Governor Peter Obi won a landslide of votes in places Mr. President never would have thought possible,” he remarked.
He also urged the federal government’s northern political appointees to be constructing the president in their respective states.
Additionally, he praised the appointment of former Katsina state governor Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari as the chairman of the APC’s Central Coordination Committee for the 2026 National Convention.
