Vice President Kashim Shettima’s political future may be hanging in the balance as signs from within the All Progressives Congress point to his exclusion from the 2027 presidential ticket.
Credible sources in the Presidency and the APC said there are ongoing political permutations that could compel President Bola Tinubu to drop him for another running mate.
This comes as four northern governors, two each from the North-East and North-West, and two principal officers in the 10th National Assembly are reported to be eyeing the VP’s seat.
The odds against Shettima
According to credible sources, the plot against Shettima stems from open criticism of the Tinubu administration by Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, and the Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume.
Zulum is a staunch loyalist of Shettima, his predecessor.
The governor was a vocal voice against the tax reform bills when they were first introduced by Tinubu. He said it favoured Lagos more than the North.
He has also consistently criticised the Federal Government’s handling of insecurity in his state, slamming information minister Mohammed Idris.
The Borno governor openly protested the omission of Shettima’s name during the adoption of Tinubu for a second term at the North-East APC stakeholders’ meeting on June 15 in Gombe State.
The meeting descended into chaos when the VP’s supporters attempted to attack the party’s Zonal Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, for endorsing Tinubu without mentioning Shettima as his running mate.
Salihu had said, “We want to reaffirm and also adopt the endorsement earlier done by the National Working Committee, that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is endorsed to be a sole candidate for the 2027 election.”
Following his failure to acknowledge the vice president, angry delegates began chanting, “Shettima! Shettima!! Shettima!!!” in protest, with one aggrieved supporter confronting Salihu on stage.
Zulum also insisted that Shettima must be adopted as the APC’s vice-presidential candidate for 2027.
Although Ndume’s current level of loyalty to Shettima remains unclear, the lawmaker has consistently criticised the Tinubu administration.
On July 17, 2024, the National Working Committee of the APC wrote to Senate President Godswill Akpabio requesting Ndume’s removal as Senate Majority Whip.
The APC cited Ndume’s “unguarded outbursts” against the government and described his remarks as “unbecoming” of a senior party member.
A source said, “The main problem for Shettima is the conduct of politicians from his state, including the governor, Ndume, and others close to him, who have been openly critical. The perception is that he can’t rein them in.
“If a sitting governor and senator from your state, especially one you handed over to, keep criticising the government, it becomes a problem.”
Following the chaotic APC North-East stakeholders’ meeting, some governors and lawmakers had begun positioning themselves as potential vice-presidential picks.
One insider said, “It is very much within the realm of possibility because the VP is not particularly close to the President. It’s not like the President has said categorically that he will change his running mate in 2027, but it is not certain that he won’t.
“Still, that hasn’t stopped people from positioning themselves just in case the President decides to.”
Another source added, “Two principal officers from the National Assembly and about four governors are involved, two each from the North-East and North-West. I know of a few, including one within the VP’s circle.”
Northern govs eyeing VP’s seat
The governors of Yobe, Gombe, Kaduna, and Katsina, Mai Mala Buni, Muhammadu Yahaya, Senator Uba Sani, and Dikko Radda, respectively, are being considered as potential replacements for Shettima.
Sources also listed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, as possible contenders.
“It’s usually governors who want that position. There’s the governor of Yobe, Gombe, Kaduna, and Katsina. The Katsina governor’s interest is no secret.
“There are also signs that the Speaker and Deputy Senate President are eyeing it. They represent different political blocs,” a source said.
Another claimed that a “confidence vacuum” may be working against Shettima.
“He has unfettered access to the President. That’s true. He meets with the President often.
“But somehow, he hasn’t earned the President’s confidence. He hasn’t demonstrated leadership or taken initiative. He mostly operates under instructions and has not shown independent capacity,” the top party official said.
Govs, Jibrin deny interest
However, the Director-General of Press Affairs, Gombe Government House, Ismaila Misilli, dismissed claims that Governor Yahaya is eyeing the VP slot.
He said, “The governor is 100 per cent with Tinubu and is not pursuing the vice-presidential slot. The position of Vice President isn’t one you campaign for.
“The governor’s priority is to deliver for Tinubu in 2027 and complete his own second term successfully. If some people believe he is capable of being vice president, that’s another matter.”
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Mohammed, denied that his principal was angling for the VP’s position, calling it “mere political permutations.”
He said, “My principal has just completed two years in office and has two more to go. He has an agenda for Katsina State and is implementing it effectively. I believe all these are just political permutations.”
Similarly, a close associate of Jibrin also dismissed the report that the Deputy Senate President was being positioned to replace Shettima in 2027.
APC NWC, NEC members divided
Insiders in the APC said that discussions about Shettima’s return had divided members of the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee of the party.
However, the national leadership of the APC is said to be trying to manage the matter to avoid creating a crisis for the party in the North-East.
A principal officer of the party, who was contacted to speak on the matter, said, “It is a sensitive matter, I cannot comment on that; I am sorry.”
But another senior party official told one of our correspondents that the speculation about dropping Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate had “elements of some truths.”
The insider also confirmed that some governors were actively lobbying for the position, with backing from some party members.
He stated, “The move to replace Shettima with another running mate for President Tinubu in the 2027 election is real. Some party leaders are working tirelessly to persuade the President to drop the vice president and choose either a governor from the North-East or another from the North-West.
