Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, is being evasive concerning his rumoured interest in a joint ticket with President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential race.
His name is among those being speculated in media reports as potential replacement for the incumbent Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
Jibrin, while fielding questions from journalists at the National Assembly on Wednesday, avoided a direct approach as he skirted around the topic.
“I will do whatever the President wants me to do,” he said, when asked if he would be interested in the vice presidential ticket if offered the slot.
When prodded further, he said,
“Honestly, I don’t want to say anything about this now. Because one point is very clear. Mr. President, since the inception of this administration, has been trying so hard to change the trajectory of the country in a way that will bring prosperity to the nation.”
He deflected persistent prying questions from journalists on the topic, saying, “We all know the problems that he inherited. And we have been working with him day and night. Because he’s our father, he’s the father of the nation. He’s open-minded.
“We understand what he is doing. And I feel that at this time, there is no point in talking about all these issues.
“What he is doing is work in progress. I believe that the best thing to do is to continue cooperating with Mr. President and supporting him. Not only the legislature but the entire people of this country should support the president.”
The questions were asked in the backdrop of recent calls to President Tinubu by some political interest groups, urging him to pick Jibrin as his running mate for his 2027 re-election bid.
But the Kano North senator said it was too early in the day for anyone to start campaigning for a role ahead of 2027.
“So, bringing this issue is quite premature. That’s why I told those groups; frankly, I don’t know them. I thank them for believing in me. But I told them, look, instead of wasting your energy on things that are not relevant now, channel your resources to support the President.
“When the time comes, we will play politics. But this time is for governance. This is the issue.
“Mr. President is my political father. You would be surprised if I start telling you what he has done for me and my people.
“So, whenever he asks me to do something, when the time comes, I will do it. I am very loyal to him.
Continuing, he said, “You see, Mr. President is a very kind-hearted person. When we had our problem in Kano, he resolved that issue for us. He made it possible for me to be given the ticket to the Senate in 2023. He stood by me to become the Deputy Senate President.
“So, if the time comes and he says, ‘I want you to work with me,’ well, I would say, ‘thank you sir,’ and I will do it. So, whatever he asks me to do, I will do. I am loyal to him hundred percent.”
The lawmaker described President Tinubu as the father of the nation. “So, make no mistake about it. But for now, we stand by him, we are working with him, and we want him to succeed. When he succeeds, we all succeed.”
According to him, he and the president are ideological soul mates with common fate, adding that they both belong in the same political family.
“We are progressives. I come from the progressive fold, where he also comes from. We are all progressives. That’s about my political history. I am a progressive to the core.
“So, we cherish loyalty. I am one hundred percent loyal to Mr. President. In 2027, I will do whatever he tells me to do”.
There are widespread speculations that President Tinubu may not retain Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The speculations are being fueled by the actions and body language of critical stakeholders in Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent times.
At the recent APC summit held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, the party’s governors, federal legislators and the leadership of the APC, endorsed Tinubu for 2027, but were all silent on Shettima.
Also, stakeholders were silent on the fate of the vice president at a recent gathering in Gombe, Northeast zone, where Tinubu was endorsed for re-election.
The glaring omission at the Gombe event sparked controversy in the ruling party because Shettima is the highest ranking political leader of the APC in the Northeast where he comes from.
The present uncertainty over the vice president’s political future is a clear departure from the smooth run vice presidents received in three previous adminitrations before Tinubu.
For instance, the Obasanjo/Atiku ticket became popular long before the build up to their 2003 re-election. It was the same with the Jonathan/Sambo ticket ahead of the pair’s failed re-election bid in 2015. Also, the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket did not suffer any hiccup ahead of the duo’s re-election in 2019.
President Tinubu’s studied silence on the matter has continued to deepen widespread suspicion of alleged differences between him and his deputy.
Analysts say it’s very much unlike Tinubu to remain silent over such speculation, considering its effects on unity and cohesion in the ruling party.
Some stakeholders have interpreted the president’s silence as an indication that all may not be well with the relationship between the two leaders.
