The issue of whether the renomination of Kashim Shettima, Nigeria’s vice president, for the 2027 presidential election should be automatic or not, has continued to trigger discussions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The issue, which came to head during the zonal consultative meeting of the party in Gombe, has caused different shades of discussions that seem to be threatening the harmony of the party.
The core issue in the Gambe fraca among the delegates at the meeting, was what is believed to be an ongoing subtle move by some elements within the national leadership of the party to ensure that the vice president is replaced in the coming presidential election.
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Before the curent heat, BusinessDay gathered that some individuals within the party have been nourishing the idea of ensuring that the Muslim- Muslim ticket arrangment that generated much disharmony during the 2023 electioneering campaign is not repeated.
One of the groups that seem to be a back up to this school of thought, the Adamawa State chapter of the has condemned the recent violence that characterized the party’s North-East consultative forum meeting.
The party described the attack on one of its top leaders, Mustapha Salihu (Sa’in Adamawa), national vice chairman, North-East, during the meeting as an organised act of thuggery geared to putting the party into disrepute.
It would be recalled that on June 16, 2025, some smuggled thugs almost disrupted the delegate conference in Gombe.
In a statement signed by Idris Shuaibu, Adamawa State chairman of the party, the party expressed outrage over what it termed a “coordinated attack” carried out by individuals smuggled into the venue under the guise of being legitimate delegates.
The statement said that the assailants targeted Mustapha Salihu in an apparent bid to intimidate or suppress his role in delivering the official communiqué of the North-East APC stakeholders.
The communiqué, which was read out by Saluhu during the meeting, reaffirmed the position of the APC Governors’ Forum, National Assembly members, and the National Working Committee in endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
“The APC Adamawa State Chapter condemns in totality the act of thuggery meted out against our son, the National Vice Chairman, North-East, Comrade Salihu Mustapha (Sa’in Adamawa), by thugs smuggled into the venue as delegates,” the statement read.
The Adamawa chapter further clarified that the fracas did not represent the spirit or purpose of the North-East Consultative Forum meeting, which was convened to harmonize the region’s position ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party called on Nigerians to “discountenance” the violent incident and focus on the unity and resolve demonstrated by stakeholders to consolidate support for President Tinubu.
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Shuaibu noted that, “We wish to make it clear that the act perpetrated by the thugs at the venue has nothing to do with the said meeting and therefore should be discountenanced by right-thinking and well-meaning Nigerians”.
Despite the disruptions, the North-East Consultative Forum went ahead to adopt a communiqué, which reinforced the regional bloc’s endorsement of Tinubu and expressed confidence in his leadership.
As of press time, neither the APC national secretariat nor the Gombe State APC chapter had issued a detailed statement on the fracas.
