Presidency Comment on Tinubu’s Final Running Mate Selection for the 2027 Election
The administration has made it clear that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not reveal his running mate for 2027 until the All Progressives Congress (APC) properly nominates him at its national conference in 2026. This announcement was issued in response to persistent rumors that the vice presidential position would alter.
In an interview that was released on June 19, Tinubu’s special adviser on strategy and information, Bayo Onanuga, said that Vice President Kashim Shettima will not be replaced. Onanuga denied rumors that Shettima was being marginalized, even if the vice president was not mentioned in some recent support for Tinubu. He said that this omission is not out of the ordinary because the Nigerian presidential system typically chooses a candidate first, and then the running mate.
Additionally, Onanuga denied that Tinubu’s previous actions as Lagos’ governor, including switching deputies, suggested that he intended to unseat Shettima. He clarified that those previous modifications were the result of particular political conflicts and do not reflect a norm. He stressed that Tinubu and Shettima still have a great working relationship and called reports of a falling out “beer parlour gossip.”
Onanuga said that concerns over Islamization, which arose after the previous election, have greatly subsided in relation to the potential for another Muslim-Muslim ticket. He emphasized that this is no longer a contentious subject and that the majority of names being considered as possible running partners are Muslims.
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The APC has also been cautioned by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) not to replace Shettima. The group stressed that replacing the vice president could be a bad idea and called for extensive consultations before making any such action. Internal conflicts have been reported, especially at a recent APC North-East stakeholders’ conference in Gombe where some leaders supported Tinubu without bringing up Shettima. Later, the party was urged to keep the Tinubu-Shettima ticket by Governor Babagana Zulum.
The late Head of State General Sani Abacha’s former Chief Security Officer, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), has formally announced his plan to run for president in 2027 under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
