Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that anyone seeking to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election would be either “hell-bent on a suicidal path” or “an outright imposter.”
Naijaonpoint reports that Shettima made the remark on Friday during the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The Vice President said modern elections are not won on social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, nor through nostalgia or empty rhetoric.
He said: “Only a fool, hell-bent on a suicidal path, or an outright imposter can dare to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. But we are in a democracy, and people are free to contest elections.”
Shettima stressed that electoral success depends on building strong coalitions, credibility and conviction, rather than online popularity.
“With the experience of our president as our shield, and the lessons of the past as our guide, I believe 2027 is not a gamble; it is a responsibility. By the grace of God, we shall have a renewable blessing,” he added.
The Vice President’s comments come in the context of the 2023 presidential election, in which Tinubu, the APC candidate, emerged victorious against major contenders.
Among those defeated were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Despite intense campaigns and strong regional backing for opposition candidates in 2023, Tinubu secured victory through party structure, nationwide mobilisation and broad political alliances.