The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ajibola Basiru, has stated that discussions regarding President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election are premature, while reaffirming the party’s overwhelming endorsement of the President as its flagbearer.
Speaking during a Friday interview on Channels Television, Basiru emphasized that the party has not yet opened discussions on the vice presidential candidate, noting that such decisions typically occur after the party’s national convention, usually held one year before general elections.
“As far as we are concerned, the national summit held in the Presidential Villa has endorsed Mr President based on his track record and a large spectrum of stakeholders in our party have also overwhelmingly given endorsement to Mr president,” Basiru stated.
He clarified the party’s position on the current Vice President, saying: “The question of running mate is not yet onboard and nobody has come to say that the president has made any adverse decision as regards the present vice president.”
Addressing the controversy that erupted during the APC Northeast stakeholders meeting in Gombe State on Sunday, June 15, where President Tinubu received endorsement without mention of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Basiru dismissed the incident as a non-issue.
The APC National Secretary, who was present at the Gombe event, explained that differing opinions at such gatherings are normal in democratic settings.
“People in a democratic setting are born to have different opinions. As far as I am concerned, there was no issue. I was physically present in Gombe State. After the summit, we had a reception at the Government House,” he said.
Basiru explained the divergent views that emerged during the Northeast meeting, stating: “Some people in the North East felt that it suffice to give endorsement to the president and then the president will be in a position to decide who would be his running mate in 2027.”
He continued: “Some other people are of the view that it is also important that since the summit is being held in the North East, the vice president, coming from the North-East, should equally have an endorsement.”
The National Secretary emphasized the party’s standard procedure for selecting candidates and running mates, noting: “What I know is that even at the national convention where a candidate for the presidential election will emerge, it is only the presidential candidate that will emerge at the convention. The running mate issue will be done after that.”
Basiru stressed that the national APC leadership would not interfere in regional political dynamics, declaring: “As far as our party is concerned, we have not made any statement or got ourselves involved in the politics of the North-East.”
The clarification comes amid growing speculation about Vice President Shettima’s political future and his potential role in the 2027 election, following various endorsement events across the country where the focus has primarily been on President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The APC National Secretary’s comments align with recent statements from the Presidency emphasizing that decisions about running mates remain premature until the formal electoral process begins with the release of the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
