The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has rejected fresh moves to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 election, warning that such a decision would amount to ‘political miscalculation’.
Indications recently emerged that some elements within the ruling party are pushing for Shettima’s replacement as Tinubu’s running mate after the Vice President’s picture was omitted in a banner bearing images of APC leaders in the North-East zone.
The banner, which surfaced during the North-East Zonal Public Hearing for the amendment of APC constitution in Maiduguri, only had the pictures of President Bola Tinubu, five APC governors in the zone and the party’s national legal adviser.
The development has led to renewed debate over the viability of the APC Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027, and Shettima’s fate. Some APC stakeholders are demanding Shettima’s replacement with a Christian from the North in the coming election.
Also, some groups from the North-Central are specifically asking that a Christian from the region should be picked as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027.
However, in a statement on Thursday, the North-Central APC Forum warned that replacing Shettima would spell danger and disaster for the party and jeopardize President Bola Tinubu’s reelection.
The Forum added that the North-Central is not interested in the position of Vice President as it is eying the presidency in 2031, after Tinubu’s tenure.
Further warning against bringing religious sentiment into political calculations, the APC Forum said the North currently lacks a Christian candidate with enough grassroots support, national appeal, and political structure to complement Tinubu’s electoral strength as running mate.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the APC Forum argued that dropping the Muslim-Muslim ticket will be to the advantage of the opposition in 2027.
“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.
“We sincerely advise that President Bola Tinubu and leaders of the party should not listen to such calls because such a decision will turn out to be a grievous political miscalculation,” the statement said.
The APC Forum added that those behind the calls do not mean well for the party and Tinubu. “They don’t want to see President Bola Tinubu reelected, that is the only reason anybody who has political knowledge could make such a request.”
Looking at the voting pattern in the North, the APC Forum stated that Tinubu would not win new votes by replacing Shettima. Rather, it warned that dropping Shettima on religious grounds would lead to the President losing support and votes in the North.
The Forum noted that should the opposition coalition backed African Democratic Congress, ADC, pick Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, dropping Shettima would not make any strategic difference as most minorities in the North will still vote for Obi, regardless of who replaces Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate.
The APC Forum advised Tinubu to maintain the status quo and continue with Shettima as his running mate, in order to win the 2027 election.
Insisting that those who are asking Tinubu to drop the Muslim-Muslim ticket did not vote for him in 2023 and would still also not give him their votes in 2027 – even if he bows to their wish by dropping Shettima, the Forum added, “Those that are calling on President Bola Tinubu to change Vice President Kashim Shettima, basing their position 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.
“Now if Peter Obi is to come out again in 2027 for ADC, what is the guarantee that they will vote for 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 Tinubu? That is not going to happen. What is likely to happen in such situation is that Tinubu will lose support among core northerners, thereby reducing his votes and giving the advantage to Peter Obi. Basic political calculation shows that dropping Shettima makes no sense and is actually very dangerous.
“We don’t see any reason President Tinubu should listen to those that are asking him to change Shettima. These people did not contribute to his victory in 2023, they were not with him. Tinubu should ignore them and go ahead with Vice President Shettima because those that will vote for him will vote for him. But he will be driving many of his voters away if he changes Shettima.”
There are suggestions that the international community, particularly the United States and the Western powers, might not be comfortable with the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket and will want it changed in 2027, especially against the backdrop of the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.
The APC Forum, however, insisted that Nigeria is a sovereign nation, and should not bow to any 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, warning that any outside interference could derail democratic rule in Nigeria and throw the country into avoidable conflict.
