As a political storm brews within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the choice of a running mate by President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, former Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu has cautioned the party leadership against entertaining any move to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima, warning that such a decision could fracture the party.
He said: ‘This is an unnecessary crisis. From the beginning, Shettima was a unifying choice. At a time when he wasn’t even seeking the position, he accepted the role and has performed dutifully. Why tamper with a winning team’?
Shettima’s fate in the 2027 presidential race triggered outrage, chaos, and urgent crisis management moves by party leaders following last Sunday’s APC North-East stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe, the Gombe State capital, where what was meant to be a show of unity rapidly descended into disorder.
Eyewitnesses reported that tensions flared at the zonal meeting on Sunday when APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu concluded his remarks endorsing President Tinubu for a second term without once mentioning Shettima.
In an attempt to calm frayed nerves, Deputy National Chairman (North), Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori reassured party faithful that the Tinubu-Shettima ticket remained intact.
Dalori said on Monday: ‘There is no cause for alarm. As the 2027 political atmosphere heats up, let me be clear: the Tinubu/Shettima ticket is non-negotiable. We haven’t found the sin Senator Shettima committed to warrant a substitution’.
While emphasising that Sunday’s fracas was regrettable but not uncommon in political gatherings, Dalori questioned whether Salihu’s omission of Shettima was deliberate or a mere oversight.
Regardless, he reiterated that the party stands firmly behind both the President and his deputy.
Reacting to the chaos, APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje issued a strongly worded statement condemning the violence as ‘grievously irresponsible and unpatriotic’.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, Chief Oliver Okpala, Ganduje warned that such conduct mirrored the political crises of the First Republic that led to national instability.
The statement read: ‘This was not just an assault on the National Chairman, but on the entire APC leadership. If such unruly behaviour goes unchecked, it sets a dangerous precedent. Nigeria’s democracy cannot be allowed to slide into lawlessness’.
Ganduje’s spokesperson stressed that the Chairman’s relationship with both President Tinubu and Shettima remains ‘as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar” and accused the agitators of lacking political maturity.
‘Politics is not violence. It is dialogue, lobbying, and consultation. Resorting to physical attacks is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms’.
Shittu, however, dismissed claims linking President Tinubu’s past practice of replacing deputies during his tenure as Lagos State governor to his current political strategy, calling the comparison ‘a needless distraction.
Despite repeated denials from top APC figures, multiple sources within the party told The PUNCH that talks of a potential replacement stem from political calculations aimed at realignment ahead of 2027 —echoing Tinubu’s past strategy in Lagos State.
One source said that the idea is to shore up support in regions where the APC currently faces resistance, though no concrete decisions have been made.
‘The President is weighing the options’, the source hinted.
Still, the source acknowledged the blowback from the North-East, a region that delivered critical votes in 2023 and views Shettima as a key representative voice.
As the party tries to contain the fallout, political analysts warn that any perception of betrayal towards the North-East may cost the APC dearly in 2027.
An analyst stated: ‘Dropping Shettima could fracture the fragile regional alliances that brought Tinubu to power, The stakes are high, and the APC must tread carefully or risk internal implosion’.
With party chieftains rushing to reaffirm loyalty and temper dissent, the ruling party faces a critical test to maintain unity amid rising ambitions and political intrigue.
