By Ayo Ayodele
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that while President Bola Tinubu has secured overwhelming support from party stakeholders to seek re-election in 2027, the decision on his running mate—Vice President Kashim Shettima—will be made at a later stage.
Ajibola Basiru, the APC National Secretary, stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday. Basiru emphasized that discussions regarding the vice presidency are not currently on the party’s agenda.
“President Tinubu has been widely endorsed by stakeholders across our party based on his track record,” Basiru said. “However, the issue of a running mate has not yet been brought to the table. That decision typically follows the party’s national convention, which takes place about a year before the general election.”
Controversy arose during the APC North-East stakeholders’ summit held on Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Gombe State. Tensions flared after APC North-East Vice Chairman Mustapha Salihu named Tinubu as the party’s sole 2027 candidate without mentioning Vice President Shettima, who hails from the region. The omission sparked protests from some attendees who felt Shettima should have been explicitly endorsed alongside the president.
Basiru, who was present at the summit, downplayed the tension, calling the dissent a natural expression of opinion in a democratic setting.
“There’s nothing unusual about what happened. Some delegates wanted both the president and vice president endorsed, especially given the summit’s North-East location. Others felt it was sufficient to endorse only the president and leave the running mate decision to him,” he explained.
He further clarified that under APC tradition, only the presidential candidate is nominated at the national convention, with the choice of a running mate typically decided afterward.
At the 2023 election, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, partnered with Shettima, the ex-governor of Borno State. They won the presidency and assumed office on May 29, 2023.
In a show of support, 22 APC governors unanimously endorsed Tinubu for a second term during a meeting on May 22, 2025. Notably, the endorsement again made no mention of Vice President Shettima.
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, voiced opposition to the endorsement. He expressed skepticism about its significance, citing the 2015 example of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who also secured backing from 22 PDP governors but still lost the election to Buhari.
“I pity President Tinubu,” Ndume said. “Endorsements from governors don’t guarantee re-election—history has shown us that.”