The endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by various party stakeholders and groups while consistently leaving out the name of Vice President Kashim Shettima has added fresh plots to the race for 2027, findings by our correspondents have indicated.

Weekend Trust reports that two years into his first term, President Tinubu received the formal backing of APC leaders to contest for a second term.

The endorsement took place at the APC National Summit, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, under the theme ?Renewed Hope Agenda: The Journey So Far.?

The event attracted high-profile attendance, including President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, APC governors, National Assembly leaders, members of the party?s National Working Committee (NWC), and other key stakeholders.

However, observers have noted that Shettima?s name was conspicuously left out throughout the summit proceedings?even though he was present at the venue.

Party members who spoke with our correspondents are divided over whether the endorsement of Tinubu by the various groups automatically covers the joint ticket given the president and his deputy in 2023, with many contending that it does not necessarily apply to both unless expressly stated.

Some observers wonder whether the silence on Shettima during the APC national summit where Tinubu was endorsed as the party?s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election was not deliberate.

It would be recalled that before the APC national summit, party leaders from the North West and North Central had endorsed President Tinubu as their sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, but also remained silent on whether Shettima would retain his place on the ticket.

There have been reports since last year about serious jostling by some politicians to have Shettima replaced as running mate, arguing that the 2023 joint ticket needs to be tinkered with, to appeal to some sections of voters in 2027.

The lack of mention of the vice president?s name during the endorsement has also triggered concerns in the North East, Shettima?s home zone, with some stakeholders calling for a meeting to deliberate on the situation and other issues affecting the health of the party in the region.

Fueling the speculation further are the re-election posters of President Tinubu in several major cities?posters that notably exclude Shettima?s image.

Political observers have also pointed out that, so far, only Borno State?Shettima?s home state?has specifically endorsed both Tinubu and Shettima for the 2027 ticket.

Following a meeting in April, APC stakeholders in Borno State, led by Governor Babagana Zulum, jointly endorsed the president and his vice president.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, Governor Zulum declared: ?We shall continue to support the noble objectives of the APC and the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Come 2027, Insha?Allah, the APC will win all elective positions in Nigeria. We will do everything possible to see that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima return on a joint ticket to complete their first and second terms uninterrupted.?

President Tinubu and Shettima were elected on a joint ticket of the APC in 2023 but analysts say there?s no legal provision that guarantees a continuous joint ticket and that the choice of running mate is at the discretion of the flag bearer.

Tinubu?s record of deputies in Lagos

Those raising concerns have drawn parallels with President Tinubu?s trajectory during his time as governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. Within his two terms in office, Tinubu had three different deputy governors, a pattern that some believe could foreshadow potential trouble for Shettima in 2027.

Tinubu?s first deputy governor was Kofoworola Bucknor, who ran with him on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the 1999 general election. However, Bucknor accused Tinubu of marginalising her in the running of the affairs of Lagos State. She claimed she was excluded from critical decision-making processes, and her office was rendered largely ceremonial. By 2002, there were reports that she was nursing a governorship ambition for the 2003 election, which put her at odds with Tinubu, who was seeking re-election. Political forces rallied against her, and the Lagos State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings. Facing mounting pressure, Bucknor resigned.

Following Bucknor?s exit, Tinubu chose Femi Pedro as his running mate ahead of the 2003 election, which they won. But history repeated itself when Pedro also expressed interest in contesting the 2007 governorship election to succeed Tinubu.

Tinubu, however, had endorsed his Chief of Staff, Babatunde Raji Fashola, as his preferred successor and instructed other aspirants to step down. Pedro refused, defected to another party to contest against Fashola, and ultimately resigned as deputy governor when an impeachment process was launched against him.

In the final phase of Tinubu?s administration, he appointed Abiodun Ogunleye to replace Pedro. Ogunleye served as deputy governor until May 29, 2007, when Tinubu handed over to Fashola, who had won the election and fulfilled Tinubu?s succession plan.

Past presidents and running mates since 1979

In 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo (South West) and Atiku Abubakar (North East) won the presidency under the

People?s Democratic Party (PDP) banner. Obasanjo retained Atiku as his running mate for the 2003 election, and they were re-elected despite initial disagreements which worsened later due to fall-out over

Obasanjo?s third-term bid, but both men completed their tenure in 2007.

In 2007, Umaru Musa Yar?Adua (North West) ran with Goodluck Jonathan (South South) on the PDP ticket and won. Following Yar?adua?s death in 2010, Jonathan was sworn in as president and chose Namadi Sambo (North West) as vice president. Jonathan and Sambo were elected together in 2011 and served until 2015. Jonathan retained Sambo as his running mate in 2015, but they lost to APC?s Muhammadu Buhari (North West) and Yemi Osinbajo (South West).

Buhari and Osinbajo won again in 2019 and served until 2023.

In the 2023 election, Bola Tinubu (South West) won on a joint APC ticket with Kashim Shettima (North East).

With two years completed in their first term, the expectation is that both would remain together on the ticket for the 2027 election. This trend of continuity in running mates dates back even to the Second

Republic. President Shehu Shagari (North West), elected in 1979 and re-elected in 1983 under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), retained Dr. Alex Ekwueme as his vice president throughout both terms until their administration was toppled by a military coup in December 1983.

Amid growing unease, sources have confirmed that APC stakeholders from the North East are preparing to convene in Gombe, to discuss pressing issues affecting the party?s fortunes in the region.

Barr. Abdullahi Jalo, a party chieftain from the region, told Weekend Trust that the meeting is scheduled for June 16, and will focus on the party?s future and the 2027 elections. He said the stakeholders would endorse a Tinubu/Shettima ticket and called for Shettima?s retention. ?The meeting is on the 16th of June 2025 in Gombe. It will discuss a variety of issues,? he said.

Jalo recalled that in 2023, when Tinubu submitted his nomination to INEC, he initially listed Ibrahim Masari as a placeholder before eventually naming Shettima as his running mate.

?Now that he has a sitting vice president, he and the party must clarify: does the president?s endorsement cover the vice president or not??

He further urged President Tinubu and the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to clarify Shettima?s place in the 2027 equation. Jalo stressed that the North East wants clarity on its standing, especially as the North West currently holds several top positions in the administration.

Earlier, Comrade Mustapha Salihu, APC National Vice Chairman (North East), confirmed in a phone interview that a meeting would be held after the conclusion of the ongoing Hajj pilgrimage.

?On the issue of endorsement of Mr. President, we, in the North East have the Vice President and the National Security preferential treatment.

Running with Shettima is Tinubu?s prerogative ? Caucus member, S/West official

Weighing in on the matter, a member of the APC National Caucus, Chief Sam Nkire, told Weekend Trust that running on a joint ticket with Shettima in 2027 is entirely within President Tinubu?s discretion.

?Replacing Shettima is the president?s prerogative. We cannot tell him what to do. It is up to the vice president to up his game; do his best to be in the good books of his principal,? he said.

Nkire, however, added that the party is not considering replacing Tinubu and Shettima in the next election.

Similarly, the APC National Vice Chairman (South West), Isaac Kekemeke, told Weekend Trust that the selection of a running mate remains the exclusive right of the presidential candidate.

?At presidential and gubernatorial primaries of political parties, only the presidential candidate or the governorship candidate, as the case may be, is elected. The running mate is the prerogative of the elected candidate,? he said.

Endorsement covers Shettima ? APC

But the APC clarified that the recent endorsements of President Tinubu for re-election by party stakeholders also cover Vice President Shettima. The APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, told Weekend Trust that the endorsement signifies a vote of confidence in the leadership of the party and the presidency.

?If you are talking about the leadership of the country, we should be conscious of the fact that we have the presidency,? he said. ?So whatever endorsement that is passed on the presidency covers the vice president. But that is not to say the persons who have been endorsed do not have the right to accept or reject,? he said.

Ibrahim cautioned that political decisions could still evolve in the run-up to the 2027 general elections.

?We have to get to the bridge before we talk about crossing it. Between now and 2027, anything can happen. The president may change his mind regarding contesting. But if he wants to contest, he has been given the green light by the party and stakeholders; he has been given the right of first refusal.

?The president may decide that he doesn?t want to contest or he doesn?t want the ticket. He has that democratic right. But for now, we should consider that what has been done covers the vice president too?except if there is a change in the future,? he added.

The APC National Vice Chairman (South East), Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, also confirmed in a chat with Weekend Trust that ?Sure, he (Shettima) is covered.?

However, a ranking APC chieftain from the North East, who asked not to be named, said beyond the silence surrounding Shettima, the wave of endorsements for President Tinubu poses a significant risk for the party once official campaigns begin. ?What is obvious is that most of the people endorsing the president are those holding elective positions?many of whom will also be seeking re-election or aiming for new offices, such as governors finishing their terms and eyeing the Senate,? the chieftain said.

?We all know that in politics, it?s give and take. So it can be reasonably concluded that these endorsements are being made with the hope?or even the conviction?that the party will, in return, offer automatic tickets or the right of first refusal.

?What this portends is that the party is not only shutting its doors to many potential aspirants, but also alienating several grassroots members?especially in states where bigwigs from opposition parties have recently defected to the APC and are likely expecting similar

?These disgruntled party members may pitch their tents elsewhere. And if the coalition that Atiku is building gains the desired momentum going into the election, it could become a fertile ground for aggrieved APC members who feel short-changed.?

The chieftain cited Kebbi State as a case in point: ?You don?t expect someone like Aliero to agree to defect to the APC with only his senatorial ticket as a guarantee. He will definitely have preferred candidates for the House of Representatives and the state House of Assembly. Now, think of the reaction of party loyalists aligned with the sitting governor and the former governor, who is now a minister.

?That?s just one example. You have similar dynamics in Delta, across the South East, and in Kano?where the Kawu Sumaila bloc, Ganduje?s camp, and the Barau faction are all jostling for space.

?So, this is the real issue with these endorsements. While the silence around Shettima is troubling, the broader political gamble may backfire on both the president and the party if not carefully managed.?

Presidency, N?Assembly mum

Meanwhile, efforts to get the presidency and the spokespersons of the National Assembly to comment on the unfolding controversy were unsuccessful.

For days, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, neither returned calls nor responded to messages sent to them for comment.

Similarly, the president?s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga and Daniel Bwala did not respond to messages sent to them for comments.

Analysts weigh in

A professor of political sociology at the University of Abuja, Abubakar Kari, warned that replacing Shettima in 2027 could prove a costly mistake for Tinubu and the APC.

?It?s becoming increasingly clear that there is an orchestrated campaign to displace and replace Shettima,? Prof Kari said.

?Ordinarily, it is no big deal that the focus has been on Tinubu alone, because the presidency is one inseparable ticket. Shettima is a mere appendage?though a significant one?because a VP should add real value to the ticket.

?The campaign is gradually unfolding, and those behind it have been bandying reasons such as the need to abandon the Muslim-Muslim ticket in favour of a Northern Christian, or suggestions that Tinubu should pick a running mate from the North West.

?Personally, I don?t think it is in Tinubu and APC?s best interest to change his running mate. For one, this would create the impression that all has not been well in the presidency?and there is no evidence of any friction significant enough to justify such a monumental decision.

?Secondly, Shettima has proved to be a loyal VP?cool, subservient and not given to upsetting the applecart. Thirdly, for whatever it?s worth, Shettima represents an important constituency: the North East and the old Kanem-Borno axis. Replacing him would likely not sit well with ?his people?.

?Therefore, Tinubu should be very careful in ultimately deciding who he runs with in 2027. Replacing Shettima may well turn out to be a costly error.?

Another political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, said the events at the recent summit sent a clear signal that Shettima is being sidelined ahead of the 2027 contest.

?If Shettima were still part of that endorsement, it would have been framed as the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for re-election,? he said in a chat with Weekend Trust.

?We know that with this kind of endorsement, Shettima is out of the game, and I believe he knows this because the signs are there. I think Shettima is not on that ticket come 2027?and it?s not a good step.

?Some people want Tinubu to fall in 2027, and they are part of the plan for him to drop Shettima. They know that once Tinubu drops Shettima, he will lose the entire North East. So they?re backing Tinubu to pick someone from the North Central instead.

?But what is the northern influence of the North Central? Once Tinubu does that, he risks losing both the North East and the North West. Meanwhile, the North Central is not even solidly behind the APC. Benue is divided. Peter Obi won Benue and Nasarawa. Kwara still answers to the Saraki dynasty.?

Similarly, another political analyst, Aminu Yakudima, warned that replacing Shettima would spell doom for the APC.

?There will be enormous consequences if Mr. President ditches the vice president in the 2027 contest,? he said.

?It has never happened in the history of Nigeria. This would be a first?and I don?t think it would be a step in the right direction,? he added. (Weekend Trust)

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