2027: Plot to replace Shettima thickens, APC react

There are strong indications that Vice President Kashim Shettima may have fallen out of favor in the race for the 2027 presidential election, amid mounting pressure on President Bola Tinubu to select a different running mate.

Shettima is currently in Senegal, representing President Tinubu at the country’s 65th Independence Day celebration.

Although President Tinubu has yet to officially announce his second-term ambition, his close political allies are already strategising for his re-election bid.

SentinelNewsNG.com reports that opposition to Shettima stems from what sources have described as, “inordinate ambition” displayed during the President’s illness last year. This reportedly led Tinubu’s associates to restrict Shettima’s access to the President at the sick bed, and since then, they have kept him at arm’s length.

Besides, some APC strategists are advocating for the Northwest to produce the next vice-presidential candidate, citing the region’s numerical voting strength and strong opposition from the geopolitical zone against Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Key figures opposing Tinubu’s re-election include former Kaduna State Governor Mallam El-Rufai and Salihu Lukman, a former member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC). They are leading coalitions against Tinubu’s bid from the Northwest.

Furthermore, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, President Tinubu’s political adviser and former spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), recently resigned.

While Baba-Ahmed cited personal reasons for his resignation, it remains unclear whether the presidency has accepted it.

APC strategists believe replacing Shettima could strengthen the party’s chances in the next election. During the 2023 general election, President Tinubu secured the highest votes from the Northwest, polling 2,652,235 votes, followed by the Southwest with 2,542,979 votes, and the Northeast with 1,741,846 votes.

However, the APC has dismissed the speculation surrounding Shettima’s replacement as baseless. APC National Director of Publicity, Alhaji Bala Ibrahim, described the rumors as “beer-parlour discussions” that should not be taken seriously.

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