Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
After months of speculation over the political future of Vice President Kashim Shettima and reports suggesting he could be replaced on the 2027 ticket, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday moved to end the uncertainty by unveiling him as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the next year’s general election.
Before now, there had been speculations in some quarters that President Bola Tinubu might consider choosing another running mate, possibly a Christian from the north.
THISDAY checks revealed that while those around the President tried to convince him to drop Shettima, the President stuck to his gun, maintaining the Muslim-Muslim ticket that generated a lot of controversy prior to the 2015 elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had set Saturday 11th July, 2026 as the deadline for political parties to upload names of the candidates into the portal.
Speaking at an event in Abuja after receiving the duly completed INEC presidential nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima, the National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the event climaxed the activities that the party started with the primary elections, from the House of Assembly, National Assembly, governorship and the presidential primary election.
According to him, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million of our members of APC who overwhelmingly voted Mr. President as their candidate to flag off the party candidature in the 2027 presidential election.
“And we are proud that the members of the APC across the country, 12 million votes already in a kit for Mr. President, voted overwhelmingly for him.And I’m sure with other members of the public who are sympathisers of APC, who are friends of APC, who are also beneficials of the program of Mr. President, I know they will also overwhelmingly vote Mr. President.
“I can’t imagine the over 1.5 million students who are receiving student loans, but they have their family, they have their friends, and they are 1.5 million.”
“They are part of a group that overwhelmingly want to vote Mr. President for supporting their education. We have road networks across the country that Mr. President has constructed, some of the longest in the history of Nigeria.”
Yilwatda told the Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Hon. Ibrahim Masari, to assure the president that Nigerians would vote overwhelmingly for him in January 2027.
He added: “I appeal to the governors, I appeal to our supporters, that let’s go back and broadcast this good news, on what Mr. President is doing across the country. What we need is focus on the success story of what Mr. President has done. We are out there with our facts. Let’s tell them our success stories.
“Nigerians have seen a difference between policy that touches the people, governance that touches the people, and we will all come out, we will all come out and mobilise across the six geopolitical zones. I’m sure there will be competitions between the governors. I know one of the geo-political zones who told me that they will bring the highest vote for Mr. President.”
The Chairman said the ruling party was going to present the best candidates going into the 2027 elections.
“We are excited as a party that will present the best candidate ever in the history of this country in terms of good governance. As a party we are proud, we are happy. We will present the very best candidate going to this election. And that’s why we are not afraid, we are not in doubt of our success, there is no shaking at all in any way, that come 2027 our victory as a party is assured,” the chairman noted.
The event was attended by APC governors, led by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, members of the National Working Committee, the APC Caucus in the National Assembly, members of the Federal Executive Council, and other party leaders and stakeholders.
