•Jibrin shuns campaign to replace VP

• Quit Tinubu’s Presidency, Nataro tells Shettima

South-South All Progressives Congress (APC) youth coalition rose from an emergency meeting yesterday, warning against alleged moves to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 poll.

This was as Deputy Senate President (DSP), Barau Jibrin, firmly rejected calls for him to be considered as Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 general elections, describing the campaign as “misplaced and ill-timed”.

But an APC chieftain, Salihu Nataro, called on Shettima to consider resigning from Tinubu’s cabinet, in response to doubts about his relevance to the administration.

Leader of the South-South APC youth group, Aliu Mahmood, and the Secretary-General, Emma Orupe, in a communiqué, yesterday, expressed dissatisfaction over the “unnecessary internal distractions” within the APC-led federal administration.

Warning disgruntled elements against undermining the VP, the group urged party leaders and loyalists to avoid any action that may fuel instability or trigger disunity at the highest level of governance.

The coalition, which met in Port Harcourt on Monday, called on Tinubu to intensify efforts towards delivering quality and people-focused governance. Also, in a statement yesterday by his media aide, Ismail Mudashir, the DSP urged the Northern Nigeria Progressive Youth Assembly (NNPYA) and other interest groups to immediately halt the campaign and focus on supporting the President’s development efforts.

“My attention has been drawn to several posts and publications urging President Tinubu to pick me as running mate in 2027. This is not only premature but also counter-productive,” Jibrin said.

He cautioned that such distractions could derail the administration’s focus and urged his supporters to demonstrate their loyalty through patriotic commitment to national progress, not political speculation.

“If you are truly my supporters, the best thing you can do now is rally behind the President. Let us join hands with him to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.

The senator, who also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, reiterated his unwavering support for Tinubu’s administration, insisting that the national interest must take precedence over political ambition.

On his part, Nataro, who was a gubernatorial contender in Kebbi State, disclosed that even before the confusion that broke out in Gombe State regarding the position of the APC on who should serve as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027, it was apparent that the VP had lost the confidence of the President.

He advised Shettima to notify the President of his decision to quit, remarking that the VP’s exit should not be based on hard feelings, but as a gesture of goodwill and support for the ultimate success of the Renewed Hope Agenda and stability of Nigeria’s democracy.

He stated: “I have seen APC officials fighting to strengthen the party before the next elections, especially in Gombe, where the discussion was about the best running mate to Tinubu”.

“My attitude to that is that the ball is now in Shettima’s court. If he is grateful for what Tinubu did for him by picking him up as running mate in 2022 and leaving out those who worked for the party, I can boldly say that if I were in Shettima’s shoes, I would resign from office.” (The Guardian)