POLITICS
2027: North-east APC leaders gathering in Gombe to endorse VP Shettima for second term
The All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in the North-east region will meet later today to formally endorse Vice President Kashim Shettima for reelection to a second term alongside President Bola Tinubu.
A top APC official in Borno told PREMIUM TIMES that the leaders will make the endorsement at their regional consultative forum meeting at the International Conference Centre, Gombe. Mai Mala Buni, the Yobe State governor and APC North-east zonal coordinating chairman, organised the meeting.
The leaders, including state governors, federal and state lawmakers, and party officials, started arriving in Gombe for the meeting on Saturday. The agenda includes discussing the party’s challenges and strategising on strengthening the party’s presence in the region ahead of the 2027 elections. Sources said party leaders consider the meeting a crucial platform for youth and women to contribute to the party’s development and future direction.
Party leaders told this newspaper that the primary interest of the meeting is to endorse Mr Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, to continue with President Tinubu on the APC ticket in 2027.
Why endorsement is necessary – Party leaders
In 2023, Mr Tinubu faced strong criticism for picking the then-senator and fellow Muslim as his running mate. Two factors opposed the nomination.
Nigeria has two dominant religions, so balancing the presidential ticket between them has been a long-standing culture in the country. By convention, Mr Tinubu, a Muslim from the South-west, was expected to pick a northern Christian for the position.
Some prominent Christian politicians, including those from Mr Shettima’s region, revolted against his nomination. Some, including former House of Representatives Speaker Yakunu Dogara and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babaxhir Lawal, left the APC to campaign for Mr Tinubu’s opponents.
Also, Mr Shettima’s nomination did not go down well with some party leaders from the North-west and North-central regions who felt overlooked.
With the 2027 general election approaching, President Tinubu has been strategising for his reelection against the backdrop of efforts by his major opponents to form a coalition for the election. Observers believe Mr Tinubu’s economic policies, which have pushed Nigerians into more poverty, will affect his chances.
Mr Shettima’s contributions to Mr Tinubu’s victory in 2023 were also seen as very poor. Apart from Borno, the state he comes from, the ticket did not win any of the five remaining states in his region.
There is a speculation that the president is considering replacing Mr Shettima to boost his prospects in the 2027 election. However, neither the president nor any of his aides has suggested such.
Many APC stakeholders have already endorsed Mr Tinubu to run under the party unopposed. However, many of them do not mention Mr Shettima in their endorsements.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yayaha on Saturday declared his full support for Mr Tinubu’s re-election.
“I assure the president that for what he has done, is doing, and will do, Gombe people will follow him to the battlefield blindfolded,” the governor said.
“We will work for his success in 2027. By God’s grace, his re-election is assured.”
Some party officials fear that not mentioning Mr Shettima in such endorsements creates a vacuum and suggests a plot against him.
This situation has attracted the attention of Mr Shettima’s loyalists, including Borno Governor Babagana Zulum, who wants Mr Shettima to be retained on the ticket.
A party leader in Borno said the regional endorsements will enhance Mr Shettima’s position and the party’s prospects in the North-east.
PREMIUM TIMES reports
The Nigeria Democratic Congress has fixed October 20 for the inauguration of its Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections, with its national chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, insisting that the party remains united behind its presidential ticket.
Cleopas disclosed this on Saturday at a press briefing in Abuja, saying the inauguration would take place during a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, where key decisions on its preparations for the elections would also be ratified.
He said the party would present Certificates of Return to its candidates and hold a dinner to strengthen cooperation ahead of the polls.
He said, “The propaganda that our party is not committed to the elections is definitely a sign of fear in the camp of the ruling party.
“In preparation for full campaign takeoff, we have proposed a meeting of the National Executive Committee of the party on October 20.
“It is at that NEC meeting that we will officially inaugurate the NDC Presidential Campaign Council and ratify certain key decisions related to the 2027 General Election.”
The chairman said the party was prioritising the composition of the council to ensure that members were suitable for the responsibilities they would be given.
“It is better to get it right. It is a sensitive election that we are going into. And we must check characters,” he said.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has put to rest speculation over its governorship ticket, with the state Chairman, Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, reaffirming Eric Opah as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with FLO 94.9 FM, Chukwu declared that all controversies surrounding the party’s primaries have been resolved, and the results announced by the primary election committee — and subsequently ratified by the APC National Working Committee — remain valid and binding.
“The results of the primaries as announced by the primary election committee and ratified by the National Working Committee stand,” Chukwu said. He stressed that Eric Opah is the authentic governorship candidate of the APC in Abia State.
The chairman called on all party members to bury their differences and close ranks in order to build a formidable APC ahead of the 2027 polls.
In the same interview, Chukwu also confirmed that Hon. Erondu Uchenna will be the party’s candidate for the Abia South Senatorial District seat in the upcoming elections.
The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, has alleged that Justice Peter Lifu acted in contempt of court by issuing a judgment that deregistered the ADC and four other political parties despite a pending appeal.
According to Abdullahi, the Court of Appeal had directed that no action should be taken on the matter until the appeal is heard on October 27. He argued that proceeding with the judgment before the appellate court’s determination amounts to a disregard for the court’s directive.
“Justice Peter Lifu, the judge who gave the judgment that deregistered the ADC and four other parties, should be arrested. The Appeal Court said don’t act until the case is heard on October 27. He’s acting in contempt of court,” Abdullahi stated.
The remarks add a new dimension to the legal and political controversy surrounding the status of the affected political parties, with the matter expected to be further addressed when the appeal comes up for hearing.
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