The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected media reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima could be replaced as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 general elections, describing the claims as “purely speculative, untrue and utterly baseless.”
The speculation, widely circulated in the media, centers on the possibility of reviewing the Muslim–Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement on Monday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said attention had been drawn to a “growing media frenzy” over an alleged plan to substitute the Vice President.
“While these stories have been mostly subtle, they recently assumed a new dimension when names of specific individuals were touted as possible replacements for Vice President Shettima,” the statement said.
The APC warned media organisations against giving space to unverified reports, urging them to avoid promoting “rumours designed to cause division.”
“Our party states in categorical terms that the stories are purely speculative, untrue and utterly baseless,” Morka said. “We urge media organisations to refrain from lending their platforms to rumour-peddlers whose only intention is to promote discord and confusion in the polity.”
The party also emphasised that political activities remain restricted under current laws and electoral regulations, stressing that it is not engaged in succession discussions at this time.
“At this time, our party remains focused on supporting President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima in delivering the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, entrenching reforms that are transforming the economy, building prosperity, and improving the living conditions of our people,” the statement added.
The APC further cautioned its ministers, senior officials, and party leaders against making statements that could fuel unnecessary speculation.
“We call on our ministers, senior government and party officials to avoid, wittingly or unwittingly, stoking needless speculations, and to focus on their primary duty of diligent service to government and our party,” the statement said.
The clarification comes hours after the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, warned that the party risks losing key northern states in 2027 if it alters the Bola Tinubu–Kashim Shettima ticket.
Speaking on the Mic On Show with journalist Seun Okinbaloye, Musawa said removing Shettima, or failing to retain a northern Muslim running mate, would significantly weaken the APC’s electoral prospects in the core North.
“If there is no Hausa, Fulani or Kanuri Muslim on that ticket, it creates a hurdle. That is the reality of the way people think,” Musawa said, noting that politics in northern Nigeria is deeply shaped by identity, history, and voter mobilisation.
She warned that altering the current ticket could have serious consequences, adding, “I think if we toy with changing the construct of what we have now, it is a problem. People who suggest otherwise may not fully understand how politics works in the North.”
