A stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North-East zone ended in disarray on Sunday in Gombe State, following a controversial endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term without mention of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Naijaonpoint reports that the drama unfolded when the APC Zonal Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, endorsed Tinubu as the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election but pointedly failed to include Shettima in the declaration, a move that sparked outrage among stakeholders at the event.
The omission led to shouting matches and near-physical confrontations among delegates. Security personnel had to quickly escort the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and several governors out of the venue as the situation spiralled out of control.
Efforts by Deputy National Chairman (North), Bukar Dalori, to calm the crowd by including Shettima in his own endorsement remarks did little to ease the tension.
Ganduje, who also addressed the gathering, reaffirmed support for Tinubu but made no mention of the vice president in his remarks, further fueling speculation about Shettima’s future on the 2027 ticket.
A top source present at the meeting, who spoke with Vanguard, said some influential party figures backed a joint ticket, but Salihu stood his ground against it.
The source told Vanguard, “It was only Mustapha Salihu who spoke against the ticket. But four National Working Committee members from the zone — including Dalori, Mohammad Ali Kumo, Zainab Ibrahim, and Abubakar Maikafi — all endorsed the joint ticket.”
The source added that while Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, was not openly opposed to the endorsement, he did not support it either.
“The governor couldn’t summon the courage to oppose the move despite being the host,” the source added.
The unfolding drama comes amid growing rumours that Tinubu may consider dropping Shettima in favour of either a Christian from the North-East or another Muslim from the North-West, in a bid to broaden regional appeal ahead of 2027.
Only a few weeks ago, on May 29, the North-East APC passed a vote of confidence in Shettima, praising Tinubu for his goodwill toward the region, especially through appointments such as that of Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser.
Speaking at an earlier event in Abuja where two Adamawa youths were honoured for riding bicycles to celebrate Tinubu’s anniversary, Salihu had attempted to dismiss speculations about Shettima’s status in 2027.
He said, “Governance is not done on social media or in newspapers. So, we cannot glorify rumours of any planned substitution of the vice president.
“The president has done a great deal for our zone by appointing us a vice president, the NSA, and others.
“Mr. President saw a lot of merit in picking his vice, and we are grateful for that. We reaffirm our confidence in the vice president.”