In What Appears To Be A Direct Response To Growing Speculation And Public Concern, The Presidency Has Cleared The Air On The Status Of Vice President Kashim Shettima Ahead Of The 2027 General Elections, Declaring That President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Has Not Yet Selected A Running Mate And Will Only Do So After He Is Formally Nominated By The All Progressives Congress (APC) At Its 2026 Convention.
This Revelation Was Made By Mr. Bayo Onanuga, The Special Adviser To The President On Information And Strategy, During An Interview With Daily Trust On Thursday.
“When I Read The Report, I Dismissed It As A Non-Issue. In A Presidential System, The Candidate Emerges First And Then Selects A Running Mate. That’s What Happened Under Buhari—He Was Nominated First And Later Picked His Running Mate. You Don’t Do Both At Once,” Onanuga Explained.
He Stressed That The President Would Follow Due Process. “Once INEC Releases The Timetable, The Party Convention Will Hold, And If The President Is Nominated Again, He Will Choose His Running Mate.”
Onanuga Dismissed Allegations That Tinubu May Be Planning To Drop Shettima, Pointing To Similar Past Speculations Rooted In Political History. “Yes, When He Was Governor, There Were Issues. In His First Term, He And His Deputy, Kofo, Didn’t Get Along, And She Had To Leave. Femi Pedro Replaced Her. In The Second Term, He Retained Pedro, But Pedro Later Defected—He Wanted To Be Governor. That’s Why He Had To Go. So, It’s Wrong To Say He Has A Pattern Of Discarding Deputies. There Were Specific Political Circumstances Each Time.”
He Further Refuted Claims Of A Rift Between Tinubu And Shettima. “I’m Not Aware Of Any Issues Between The President And The Vice President. From What I Know, They Have An Excellent Working Relationship. All The Speculation Is Just Beer Parlour Gossip. People Even Say Ridiculous Things Like Seyi Tinubu Is The Vice President—Absolute Nonsense.”
Onanuga Also Addressed Religious And Political Insinuations Around The Speculated List Of Tinubu’s Potential Running Mates, Stating, “Christians Are Living Their Lives. The President Even Attended The Pope’s Inauguration In Rome. There’s Nothing To Worry About. Many Of The Names Being Speculated As Potential Running Mates Are Muslims. So Again, This Isn’t An Issue.”
He Explained The Timing Of Recent Endorsements For President Tinubu, Stating They Were A Necessary Response To Opposition Aggression. “The Endorsements Are A Reaction To Something. If Those In The So-Called Coalition Had Not Started Throwing Missiles At The Tinubu Administration And The APC, The APC Would Have Waited Until Early Next Year To Respond. But We Had To Show That We’re Not Asleep But Ready To Square Up.”
“We’re Grateful For The Confidence They Have In Him. Of Course, We Welcome The Endorsements, Even Though The Campaign Period Hasn’t Officially Begun. Everyone Knows That. But Because The Opposition Jumped The Gun, The Ruling Party Can’t Just Fold Its Arms.”
Tags
News