The surface of the internal strain in the APC amid the uncertainty of the role of Shettima in 2027

When the Congress of all Progressive (APC) prepared for the 2027 presidential election, subtle tensions emerged in the party, revealing anxiety over the position of Vice President Kashim Shettima along with Ball President Ahmed Tinubu.

In an interview with Daily trustSpokesman for President Bayo Onanuga reiterated that the choice of couples who were running tinubu were waiting for the formal nomination of the party at the 2026 Convention. He stressed that, in line with the president’s norms, tickets were decided only after the candidate candidacy, quoting the Buhari era as a precedent.

Onanuga rejected speculation that Shettima had been absent. He acknowledged the history of Tinubu about changes in the deputy during his Lagos Governor, first replacing Kofoworola Bucknor-Makaken and then Femi Pedro, but described such acts of acts politically contextually rather than evidence of a pattern. He further stated that the relationship between Tinubu and Shettima remained strong and that the dispute report was only “Gossip the living room of beer.”

“When I read the report, I thought it was not a problem. In the President’s system, the candidate first appeared and then chose a couple who was running. That was what happened under Buhari-I was nominated first and then selecting his running partner. You do not do both at once.

“After Inec released the schedule, the party convention will apply, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his partner,” he said.

“It’s only speculation. Yes, when he became governor, there was a problem. In his first term, he and his representatives, Kofo, were not harmonious, and he had to go. Femi Pedro replaced him. That is why he must go.

“So, Salah said he had a pattern of representative disposal. There was a special political condition every time. That’s what I explained,” he said.

However, the North East APC stakeholder summit in Gombe last weekend implies a deeper fracture. Deputy Chairperson of the National (Northeast), Salihu Mustapha, initially supported Tinubu without mentioning the shettima-movement that triggered a heat reaction before the peak ended with mutual support.

Mustapha then revealed in an interview that her statement, based on constitutional procedures, almost caused violence. He claimed he was “he could be hung” and had to be escorted under severe security protection. He defended negligence by arguing that the running partner was not elected during the party’s preliminary election but by the flag bearer, with a stakeholder consultation.

The report has revealed that the northeast governor (from Yobe, Gombe and Borno) was reported to be separated from the retention of Shettima: Governor Borno Zulum expressed strong support, while Yobe and Gombe looked more neutral. Zulum then recommends tickets during the Gombe Summit, calling synergy between Tinubu and Shettima “Rare Opportunities” for the region.

The permanent observer focused sharply on the four potential results for the Slot of the Vice President 2027: Maintaining Shettima, choosing a northern Christian as an act of political balance, offering a role to the NNPP Kawwaso to persuade the defender, or elect other north or northwestern governors. Questions- whether tweaks in the composition of the ticket religion of the Muslim-Muslim couples in 2023 will occur, hanging above the APC calculation.

CONCLUSION: calm cohesion or discord brewing?

Onanuga emphasized that the partnership of Tinubu -Shettima was safe and there was no need to repeat the controversy of “Muslim -Muslim” 2023. However, turbulence in Gombe, highlighted the reluctance of several APC leaders to openly confirm Shettima, showed that not all harmonious behind the scenes.

When APC navigating the leader of nine months to the 2026 nomination, internal gaps tend to appear. Whether these differences reflect healthy debates or the intention to re -position the approaching before 2027 still have to be seen.