The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum has rejected moves to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 general election, warning that such a step would amount to a grave political miscalculation.
The Forum’s position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, following reports that some persons within the ruling party were pushing for Shettima’s replacement.
PUNCH Online reports that the speculation was fuelled after the Vice President’s photograph was omitted from a banner bearing images of APC leaders in the North-East during the party’s zonal public hearing on the amendment of its constitution in Maiduguri.
The banner featured Tinubu, five APC governors from the zone and the party’s National Legal Adviser.
The development has reignited debate over the viability of the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027 and Shettima’s political future. Some stakeholders within the party have reportedly called for his replacement with a Christian from the North.
In particular, some groups from the North-Central region have demanded that a Christian from the area should be selected as Tinubu’s running mate in the next election.
However, the North-Central APC Forum warned that replacing Shettima would be disastrous for the party and could jeopardise President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The Forum added that the North-Central is not angling for the vice-presidential slot, noting that the region is focused on contesting the presidency in 2031, after Tinubu’s tenure.
Cautioning against injecting religious sentiment into political calculations, the forum argued that the North currently lacks a Christian candidate with sufficient grassroots support, national appeal and political structure to complement Tinubu’s electoral strength as a running mate.
It maintained that abandoning the Muslim-Muslim ticket would only strengthen 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 President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the party not to listen to such calls, because such a decision will turn out to be a grievous political miscalculation,” the forum stated.
The Forum further accused those behind the agitation of acting against the interests of the party and the President.
“They do not want to see President Bola Tinubu re-elected. That is the only reason anybody with political knowledge would make such a request,” the statement said.
Analysing voting patterns in the North, the Forum said Tinubu would not gain new votes by replacing Shettima. Instead, it warned that dropping him on religious grounds would lead to a loss of support and votes in the region.
It also noted that if the opposition coalition backed by the African Democratic Congress fields Peter Obi as its presidential candidate, replacing Shettima would make no strategic difference, as many minorities in the North would still vote for Obi regardless of Tinubu’s running mate.
The Forum therefore advised the President to maintain the status quo and retain Shettima in order to strengthen his chances in 2027.
It insisted that those calling for a change did not support Tinubu in 2023 and would still not vote for him in 2027, even if he bowed to their demands.
“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 comes out again in 2027 on the platform of the ADC, what is the guarantee they will vote for Tinubu even if he drops Shettima and replaces him with a Christian? That is not going to happen.
“What is likely 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,” the statement said.
The Forum also dismissed suggestions that foreign powers, including the United States and other Western countries, might pressure Nigeria to abandon the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027.
It insisted that Nigeria is a sovereign nation and should not bow to external influence.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket gave us victory in 2023. Nigeria is an independent nation, and nobody is going to dictate to us,” the Forum added.
It warned that outside interference could undermine democracy and trigger avoidable conflict.
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