President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will choose his running mate for the 2027 presidential election only after formally accepting the party?s nomination during its convention in 2026.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, disclosed this on Thursday in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust.

Responding to a question on why the presidency has remained silent amid growing controversy over the omission of Vice President Kashim Shettima from a wave of endorsements for Tinubu, Onanuga dismissed suggestions that the silence amounted to tacit approval of the vice president?s exclusion.

?When I read the report, I dismissed it as a non-issue. In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate. That?s what happened under Buhari?he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don?t do both at once.

?Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate,? he said.

Onanuga also rejected claims that Tinubu?s record as governor of Lagos State?where he changed deputies twice?indicates a plan to drop Shettima ahead of 2027.

?That?s just speculation. Yes, when he was governor, there were issues. In his first term, he and his deputy, Kofo, didn?t get along, and she had to leave. Femi Pedro replaced her. In the second term, he retained Pedro, but Pedro later defected?he wanted to be governor. That?s why he had to go. I don?t want to reopen old wounds, but that?s what happened.

?So, it?s wrong to say he has a pattern of discarding deputies. There were specific political circumstances each time. That?s what I?m explaining,? he said.

The presidential aide added that the speculation of a rift between Tinubu and Shettima?circulating even before the current endorsement debate?was baseless.

?I?m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship. All the speculation is just beer parlour gossip. People even say ridiculous things like Seyi Tinubu is the vice president?absolute nonsense.

?In this country, deputy roles?whether deputy governor or vice president?are always surrounded by rumours. Even when there?s no conflict, people around them will concoct stories. But as far as I know, Tinubu and Shettima work together very well,? he said.

Asked whether his comments meant the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought Tinubu to power in 2023 would be repeated in 2027, Onanuga said the matter was no longer an issue, insisting that earlier fears about Islamisation had been dispelled.

?Christians are living their lives. The president even attended the Pope?s inauguration in Rome. There?s nothing to worry about.

?Many of the names being speculated as potential running mates are Muslims. So again, this isn?t an issue,? he added.

Responding to criticisms about the flurry of endorsements for the president despite INEC not officially declaring the campaign period open, Onanuga said it was a necessary response to opposition attacks.

?The endorsements are a reaction to something. If those in the so-called coalition had not started throwing missiles at the Tinubu administration and the APC, the APC would have waited until early next year to respond. But we had to show that we?re not asleep but ready to square up. You can?t expect the president to sit by while his opponents are plotting openly against him.

?We?re grateful for the confidence they have in him. Of course, we welcome the endorsements, even though the campaign period hasn?t officially begun. Everyone knows that. But because the opposition jumped the gun, the ruling party can?t just fold its arms,? he added.

How APC North East summit escalated concerns over Shettima?s fate

Daily Trust reports that the omission of Vice President Kashim Shettima from a wave of endorsements for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stirred unease in recent weeks, culminating in a tense standoff during the APC North East stakeholders? summit held in Gombe last weekend.

Although party leaders from the zone eventually endorsed the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for the 2027 election, it followed a rowdy session triggered by the refusal of the APC national vice chairman (North East), Salihu Mustapha, to endorse Shettima alongside the president.

Prior to the Gombe summit, questions had already been mounting over Shettima?s political future after party chieftains endorsed Tinubu as the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election at last month?s APC National Summit held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The development fuelled speculation that Tinubu might be planning to replace Shettima as his running mate. Political observers suggested the president was considering four possible alternatives.

One theory was that Tinubu could pick a northern Christian to placate voters who were aggrieved by the Muslim-Muslim ticket of 2023. Another line of speculation suggested the vice-presidential slot could be offered as an incentive to lure the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People?s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, into the APC. A third rumour pointed to two serving governors from the North West being considered for the position. The final theory held that Tinubu might retain the slot for the North East but nominate a different candidate from the zone.

Before the national summit, APC leaders from the North West and North Central had also endorsed the president for re-election?but notably left out Shettima in their declarations.

However, at the Gombe summit, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum reaffirmed the earlier position taken by APC stakeholders in Borno, urging Tinubu to retain Shettima as his running mate in 2027.

?It is a rare opportunity to have the vice president from our region; it reflects the trust and confidence reposed in us by President Tinubu and indeed the entire nation.

?The role played by Kashim Shettima?his leadership, dedication and vast experience?has been pivotal in advancing the priorities of this administration. The synergy between Tinubu and Shettima is one of strength, unity and shared vision, which guarantees that Nigeria is well represented.

?We also urge him to retain our own Kashim Shettima as his running mate. On behalf of the government and good people of Borno State, I endorse the Tinubu/Kashim ticket for 2027,? Zulum said.

Declining to endorse Shettima nearly cost me my life ? APC vice chairman

Speaking on his ordeal after declining to endorse Vice President Shettima as President Tinubu?s running mate during the APC North East summit in Gombe, the party?s national vice chairman (North East), Salihu Mustapha, said his decision was guided by party procedures for candidate nomination.

In an interview with Trust TV, Mustapha claimed he ?could have been lynched? had he not fought his way out of the venue after his speech sparked a rowdy session.

He alleged that a politician from Borno State, whom he accused of exploiting political thuggery for personal gain, orchestrated the chaos to further strain his relationship with the vice president.

?I had to defend myself. I called in my security detail and fought my way out. If not for the few boys shielding me?and my own strength?I could have been lynched,? he said.

?They tried to attack me, but I defended myself. Even amid the chaos, I told the governor, ?Tell your people to stop.? Because I can defend myself?I?m militarily trained and experienced in handling situations like this,? he added.

Explaining his refusal to include Shettima in the endorsement, Mustapha argued there is no constitutional or party provision for naming a running mate during candidate nomination.

?Politics today is about popular participation and stakeholder consensus. It?s about lobbying and building trust?not intimidation.

?Anyone truly loyal to a leader or political system should understand that once the party?s presidential candidate is endorsed, no one should take offence. Constitutionally?and I?m tired of repeating this?check the constitutions of all political parties in Nigeria. There is no provision for selecting a running mate during primaries.

?The endorsement at the National Summit was for the presidential ticket. We?re not INEC. We?re not the general electorate. Our mandate is to decide who becomes the party?s flagbearer. That?s where our role ends.?

He further explained that choosing a running mate is the prerogative of the flagbearer, after due consultation with the party and other stakeholders.

?So, it?s counterproductive for us as a zone to try and force the issue, especially without first approaching the president in humility to say, ?We?re here to consult and urge you to pick your running mate from our region.?

?If the president responds favourably, we can then return and say, ?We?re endorsing the president and our zone.? That?s respectful. But trying to force his hand or chanting slogans like ?No Shettima, no Asiwaju? in the hall?that?s blackmail.

?And that?s not the position of the North East. Not at all,? he said.

On claims that Governor Zulum had made Shettima?s inclusion a condition for endorsing Tinubu, Mustapha said: ?That is not the position of the North East.

?The stakeholders I consulted across five states in the region are endorsing Asiwaju unconditionally?without preconditions?while still expressing confidence in and solidarity with the vice president.?

He acknowledged that Governor Zulum had insisted on including Shettima in the endorsement but said the party leadership explained why it could not adopt that position.

?I told him plainly: this was the general sentiment gathered from all the stakeholders we engaged,? he said.

Mustapha added that rumours about Shettima being replaced in 2027 were part of a familiar pattern in Nigerian politics.

?Whether it?s a president and vice president, governor and deputy, or local government chairman and vice chairman?it?s always the same.

?There are intermediaries, conflict profiteers, who insert themselves between both camps and relay conflicting messages. They thrive on stoking tension and mistrust. It has been a recurring pattern in almost every administration throughout our political history,? he said.

2027 without Shettima ill-advised ? MURIC

Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has warned the APC and President Tinubu against replacing Vice President Shettima ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement signed by its executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC said any move to drop Shettima would be ill-advised.

?The Islamic human rights group argued that such a replacement will be ill-advised. It therefore advised the president and the ruling party to consult widely before taking a decision on the matter,? the statement said. (Daily Trust, bur headline rejigged)

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