In spite of recent agitations, accompanied by permutations over alleged moves by President Bola Tinubu to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in 2027, THISDAY Weekend, gathered that the president is unlikely to change his deputy in his bid for re-election.

A reliable Villa source, who dismissed swirling reports about the fate of Shettima as hanging in the balance ahead of the 2027 elections, told THISDAY that the speculations or rumours were unfounded because Tinubu never had such discussion with anyone.

To close his argument, the source, widely known in government circles as a man of few words, said with confidence, “The president will run with Shettima. You can file it away. Stop worrying about the rumour. He will.”

To further establish his argument, the source, who allayed concerns about the place of the ruling party in the 2027 elections, added, “We (the APC) are winning the next election is all I know, Wallahi!”

There had been speculations that in navigating a winning strategy for his 2027 re-election bid, Tinubu might have considered the possibility of dropping Shettima as his running mate.

In his stead, rumours had it that the president was considering someone else from the North-west, being the political heartland of northern Nigeria, with the highest voting strength, as running mate.

Unfortunately, the rumour or speculation had begun to generate ill-feelings among supporters of the vice president, especially from his North-east geopolitical zone.

Things came to a head in June 2025, when All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in the North-east failed to mention Shettima while endorsing Tinubu for second term at a defining zonal meeting.

The meeting, which held in Gombe State, was attended by virtually all ministers, lawmakers, and governors of the party from the North-east.

APC National Vice Chairman for North-east, Mustapha Saliu, concluded his speech at that event without mentioning Shettima, even though he openly endorsed Tinubu.

Salihu told the audience, “We have no business not supporting this party with all the juicy appointments and responsibilities given to us by this government.

“I would want all members of the zonal executive committee to stand up so that we will do the proper endorsement, because it is the zonal executive committee that holds the ticket.

“We want to reaffirm and also adopt the endorsement earlier done by the National Working Committee that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is endorsed to be a sole candidate for the 2027 election.”

Before Salihu concluded his speech, delegates at the forum had started to hurl insults at him, with some threatening to attack him physically. But he had to be rushed out of the meeting by security operatives.

A video footage of the meeting showed an enraged party member throwing chairs at Salihu as he fled the stage, while another delegate lobbed a plastic bucket in protest.

Things degenerated after the former National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, also endorsed Tinubu alone, without mentioning Shettima.

Ganduje did not mention Shettima’s name throughout his about 10-minute speech. He, too, had to be escorted out of the venue by security operatives.

Though Ganduje seemed to acknowledge Shettima, when he stated, “We are proud of his deputy, his vice president, it is one ticket according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” many delegates remained unconvinced and chanted, “No Shettima, no APC in the North-east.”

To calm the situation, Deputy National Chairman of the party, Bukar Dalori, endorsed both Tinubu and Shettima for a second term.

But the message had been delivered and the people also had understood it in the best way possible.

The tension that followed had forced delegates to threaten the APC leadership that if Shettima was not included in the joint ticket, they would switch allegiance to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, an opposition figure, also from the North-east.

A delegate from Borno State, same state as Shettima, who did not want to be mentioned, said, “It’s an insult to the entire region that our own son, the vice president, was not even mentioned. This is a calculated attempt to side-line Shettima, and we will resist it with everything we have.”

Another delegate from Adamawa State also warned, “If Shettima is dropped, I will personally lead my people to vote for Atiku. We won’t be taken for granted.”

Several others threatened mass defection to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But before the situation escalated, the governors of Yobe, Borno and Gombe, Mai Mala Buni, Babagana Zulum, and Muhammadu Yahaya, respectively, supported the Tinubu-Shettima ticket.

Yahaya, who spoke for others, declared, “The North-east is fully behind the president and the vice president. Their leadership has brought renewed hope to this region.”

An observer, James Abass, who witnessed it all, warned, “This is more than just a misunderstanding. It’s a sign of serious internal divisions within the ruling party that could trigger mass defections or the rise of a counter-movement if not urgently addressed.”

What finally lent credence to the state of the party with respect to the fate of the vice president, was when Shettima refused to shake hands with Ganduje at a public event.

The snub took place in Akwa Ibom State during a reception organized in honour of Governor Umo Eno, who had just joined APC from PDP.

In a video, Shettima was seen shaking hands with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Eno, but skipped Ganduje, who stood third in line, to greet other dignitaries behind him.

That, for many, was a public display of dissatisfaction amid a growing rift over the 2027 presidential running mate ticket.

However, with the new revelation from not just an insider but an active player in the government, perhaps, the situation will begin to take a different shape. (THISDAY)

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