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The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has strongly opposed calls to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 general election, warning that such a move would be a serious political blunder.
In a statement released Thursday in Abuja, the forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, addressed reports that some party members were pushing for Shettima’s replacement, a debate reignited after his photo was omitted from a banner at the APC’s North-East zonal public hearing on constitutional amendments in Maiduguri.
The banner featured President Tinubu, five APC governors from the zone, and the party’s National Legal Adviser, leaving Shettima out. Some party stakeholders had reportedly suggested replacing him with a Christian from the North to broaden appeal.
However, the North-Central APC Forum insisted that dropping Shettima would backfire, undermining Tinubu’s re-election prospects. The forum noted that the region is not seeking the vice-presidential slot, but is focused on contesting the presidency in 2031.
“There is serious danger in changing a winning ticket. We totally and unequivocally reject calls and plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima in the next election,” the forum stated. “We advise President Bola Tinubu and party leaders not to listen to such calls, because it would be a grievous political miscalculation.”
The forum argued that no credible Christian candidate from the North currently has the grassroots support, national appeal, or political structure to complement Tinubu’s electoral strength. Replacing Shettima, they warned, would likely cost votes in the North, especially if the opposition fields Peter Obi under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Basic political calculation shows that dropping Shettima makes no sense and is actually very dangerous,” the statement said, adding that those pushing for a replacement have never supported Tinubu and likely never would, even if their demands were met.
The forum also dismissed suggestions that foreign powers might pressure Nigeria to abandon the Muslim-Muslim ticket, insisting that the country is sovereign and the 2023 victory proves the strategy works.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket gave us victory in 2023. Nigeria is an independent nation, and nobody is going to dictate to us,” the statement said, warning that external interference could undermine democracy and create avoidable conflict.
