The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has dismissed reports that Vice President Kashim Shettima could be replaced as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 election, describing the move as a serious political miscalculation.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, the forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said the party should not consider dropping Shettima, even amid renewed calls for a Christian vice-presidential candidate.
The speculation followed the omission of the Vice President’s photograph from a banner featuring APC leaders during the party’s zonal constitutional amendment hearing in Maiduguri. The banner displayed Tinubu, five APC governors from the North-East and the party’s National Legal Adviser.
The incident has reignited debate over the APC’s Muslim–Muslim ticket and Shettima’s future in the party. Some stakeholders, especially from the North-Central region, have urged that a Christian be selected as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027.
This push gained momentum after renewed pressure from United States President Donald Trump over alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria. Observers say Trump’s stance has made a Christian vice-presidential candidate more plausible, with Defence Minister Christopher Musa, Bishop Matthew Kukah and former House Speaker Yakubu Dogara mentioned as possible options.
But the North-Central APC Forum argued that replacing Shettima would harm Tinubu’s re-election prospects and strengthen the opposition.
The forum said the North-Central region was not seeking the vice-presidential slot and was instead focused on contesting the presidency in 2031.
It also warned that the North lacks a Christian candidate with the national appeal, grassroots support and political structure needed to balance the ticket.
“There is serious danger in changing a winning ticket. We totally and unequivocally reject calls and plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the next election,” the forum said.
The statement accused those behind the agitation of working against the party’s interests.
“They do not want to see President Bola Tinubu re-elected. That is the only reason anybody with political knowledge would make such a request,” it added.
Analysing voting patterns in the North, the forum said replacing Shettima would not win Tinubu new votes. Instead, it warned that dropping him on religious grounds could cost the president support in the region.
The forum further argued that if the opposition coalition backed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fields Peter Obi as its candidate, many northern minorities would still vote for Obi regardless of Tinubu’s running mate.
The forum therefore urged Tinubu to maintain the status quo and retain Shettima, saying the move would strengthen his chances in 2027.
It insisted that those calling for a change did not support Tinubu in 2023 and would not vote for him in 2027 even if he complied.
“If you check, you will notice that in 2023, most of their communities voted for Peter Obi of the Labour Party,” the forum said.
“Now if Peter Obi comes out again in 2027 on the platform of the ADC, what is the guarantee they will vote for Tinubu even if he drops Shettima and replaces him with a Christian? That is not going to happen.”
The forum also dismissed suggestions that foreign powers, including the United States and other Western countries, could pressure Nigeria to abandon the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“The Muslim–Muslim ticket gave us victory in 2023. Nigeria is an independent nation, and nobody is going to dictate to us,” it said.
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