A consultative meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North-East ended in chaos on Sunday after a heavy fight broke out among party stakeholders over the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for the 2027 presidential election.
The meeting, held in Gombe, the capital of Gombe State, was attended by key political figures from the region, including Governors Babagana Zulum of Borno, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe. Also in attendance were the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Deputy National Chairman Dr. Ali Bukar Dalori, and thousands of party loyalists.
POLITICS NIGERIA learned that all hell broke loose after Comrade Mustapha Salihu, National Vice Chairman of the ruling party in the North-East, failed to mention the name of Vice-President, Kashim Shettima while endorsing President Bola Tinubu for a second term.
When it was the turn of Salihu to speak, he endorsed Tinubu to emerge as an unopposed candidate of the APC but was silent about Shettima. The moment he finished his speech, delegates at the forum started to hurl insults at him, with some threatening to attack him physically, but he had to be escorted out of the meeting by security operatives.
A section of attendees reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision, leading to a scuffle that quickly escalated into physical confrontation. Security personnel had to intervene to restore order.
Despite the incident, party leaders moved forward with the endorsement. In his address, Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum hailed the achievements of the current administration, highlighting progress in sectors such as health, education, youth and women empowerment, and economic development.
