The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has advised President Bola Tinubu to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
The Forum made this known in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, in Abuja on Saturday.
In a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum, led by Dominic Alancha, warned President Tinubu against a repeat of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, noting that it cost the APC several northern states like Nasarawa, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory in the 2023 presidential poll.
Alancha further warned that the APC would lose more grounds in the North, particularly in the Middle Belt, if the party repeats the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the next presidential election.
According to the group, calls for the President to drop the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the next election are unnecessary, insisting that the combination worked for the APC in 2023.
Zazzaga explained that the choice of running mate was a political strategy aimed at ensuring victory for the party and should not be seen as an attempt to sideline any religious group.
He further argued that with key positions in government already occupied by prominent Christians from the Middle Belt, including the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the region remains well represented.
The statement read, ‘The Muslim-Muslim ticket will not affect President Bola Tinubu’s chances in the Middle Belt, which is part of the North-Central, and this is because of the key positions held by Middle Belt Christians in the APC government.
‘We can guarantee that President Tinubu will get 90 per cent of the votes from the North-Central. President Tinubu’s achievements in office will guarantee his reelection and as a result, there is no need to take the needless risk of changing a winning team.
‘Those that are calling on President Bola Tinubu to change Vice President Kashim Shettima, basing their agitation on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, if you check, you will notice that in 2023, most of their communities voted for Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
‘Now if Peter Obi is to come out again in 2027, as expected, what is the guarantee that they will vote for President Tinubu even if he is to drop Shettima and replace him with a Christian? Does it mean that these people will now leave Peter Obi and vote for President Tinubu?’
The Forum maintained that President Tinubu’s performance in office would play a decisive role in determining his chances of re-election, adding that the President should focus on consolidating his achievements rather than altering the political structure that brought him victory in 2023.
‘We advise Mr President not to change what worked in the last election. Maintaining the same team will further strengthen the chances of the APC in 2027’, the statement concluded.
