Political discourse in Nigeria is heating up as the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum publicly endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima on the 2027 ticket.
Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, who chairs the Forum, issued the statement in Abuja, explaining that replacing Shettima would not only destabilize APC’s political base but also amount to an unnecessary gamble.
Clash of Opinions
His position contradicts that of the Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum, led by Dominic Alancha, who criticized the Muslim-Muslim ticket during a Channels Television interview. Alancha emphasized that it contributed to APC’s electoral losses in Plateau, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory in 2023, warning that repeating it would deepen divisions in the Middle Belt.
Forum Backs Shettima
But the North-Central APC Forum maintained that Christians already hold high-ranking roles within the government, pointing to Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as National Chairman of APC and Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
According to Zazzaga, “Tinubu’s achievements in office will guarantee his reelection and as a result, there is no need to take the needless risk of changing a winning team.”
He further insisted: “We can guarantee that Tinubu will get 90 percent of the votes from the North-Central.”
No Electoral Gain in Replacing Shettima
The Forum also noted that many communities advocating for a Christian running mate had supported Peter Obi in the last election. It questioned whether these voters would shift to Tinubu in 2027 even if the APC altered its ticket.
Ultimately, the group urged President Tinubu to stay focused on performance, arguing that political stability will boost the APC’s reelection chances.