The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima may be replaced as running mate to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, describing such claims as “purely speculative, untrue and utterly baseless.”
The ruling party said it was not engaged in any succession or ticket-review discussions, amid speculation that it may reconsider the Muslim–Muslim presidential ticket that won the 2023 election.
In a statement issued on Monday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, faulted recent media reports that named individuals allegedly being considered as replacements for 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,” Morka said.
The APC cautioned media organisations against promoting unverified claims, warning that such reports were capable of fueling division and confusion in the polity.
“Our Party states in categorical terms that the stories are purely speculative, untrue and utterly baseless. We urge media organisations to refrain from lending their platforms to rumour-peddlers and mischievous ‘news sources’ of questionable provenance whose only intention is to promote discord and confusion,” the statement said.
The party also noted that political activities remain restricted under existing laws and electoral regulations, stressing that discussions about the 2027 elections are premature.
“Under our laws and electoral regulations, the ban on political activities remains in force,” Morka said.
According to the APC, its current focus is on governance and the delivery of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“At this time, our Party remains focused on supporting President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima in delivering the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and entrenching its bold reforms that are now steadily transforming the economy, building prosperity and improving the living conditions of Nigerians,” the party stated.
The APC further warned its ministers, senior government officials and party leaders to refrain from making comments capable of stoking 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 added.
The clarification comes amid comments by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that the APC could lose key northern states in 2027 if it alters the Tinubu–Shettima ticket.
Musawa spoke during an episode of Mic On Show with journalist Seun Okinbaloye, published on YouTube on Sunday.
She said removing Shettima or failing to retain a northern Muslim running mate would significantly weaken the party’s electoral chances 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.
According to her, politics in northern Nigeria is deeply influenced by identity, history and voter mobilisation.
“The core North states, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara and Sokoto, understand politics at a very deep level. Politics is a way of life,” she said.
Musawa warned that altering the current ticket structure could have serious electoral consequences.
“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,” she added.
