The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has rejected calls for President Bola Tinubu to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the 2027 election.
The position of the North-Central APC Forum was made known in a statement released by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, in Abuja on Wednesday.
The APC Forum’s position followed agitation by some North-Central stakeholders, under the aegis of North-Central Renaissance Movement, who are calling on Tinubu to drop Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The Movement asked Tinubu to pick a running mate from the North-Central as a condition for the zone to support his reelection.
According to the Movement, the North-Central zone should produce Nigeria’s Vice President in 2027.
However, rejecting the calls for Shettima’s replacement as Vice President, the North-Central APC Forum declared that its earlier endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 election extended to the Vice President.
According to the statement signed by Zazzaga, a member of the APC campaign council for the 2023 election, North-Central APC stakeholders are satisfied with Shettima, and are not involved in the calls for his replacement ahead of the next election.
“The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum rejects calls on President Bola Tinubu to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in 2027.
“The calls are not coming from stakeholders of the APC in the North-Central. We disassociate ourselves from the calls and we hereby emphasize that our endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 election extends the Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
“For emphasis, we hereby again endorse President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for the 2027 election.
“We urge Mr President not to pay any attention to the antics of individuals and groups who are trying to derail his administration, which has recorded so much achievements towards repositioning Nigeria on the part of progress and sustainable growth.
“We are satisfied with the role being played by Vice President Kashim Shettima in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, and we also commend the harmonious working relationship between the President and the Vice President, which is being envied by those in the opposition, who are now trying to sow seeds of discord in the APC government.
“The North-Central APC Forum stands on the Tinubu/Shettima ticket with which our party emerged victorious in the 2023 election,” the statement said.
The APC Forum, which had earlier promised to deliver six million votes for Tinubu in 2027, insisted on its determination to achieve the feat, as the people of the North-Central are happy with the President’s administration.
“We also restate that the six million votes we promised Mr President are intact. We are happy with the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the ministerial portfolios and other appointments given to the North-Central, as well as infrastructural projects in the zone.
“However, if there are other opportunities, including infrastructural projects, that can come to the zone, we will also appreciate them,” the statement added.
The APC Forum noted that, currently, in addition to the high profile position of SGF, occupied by Senator George Akume from Benue State, the North-Central zone is holding key ministerial portfolios, as well as some other important appointments in the Federal Government.
The statement identified key ministries headed by ministers from the North-Central to include: Ministry of Justice, headed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, from Kwara; Ministry of Information and National Orientation, headed by Mohammed Idris from Niger State; Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, headed by Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda from Plateau; Ministry of Women Affairs, headed by Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim from Nasarawa; Ministry of Special Duties, Intergovernmental Affairs, headed by Zephaniah Bitrus Jisalo, from the Federal Capital Territory, and Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, headed by Prof Joseph Utsev from Benue.
It would be recalled that in December 2024, the North-Central All APC Forum endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office.
The Forum declared that it decided to endorse Tinubu for a second term because his administration has extended several opportunities to the North-Central zone since he assumed office as President in 2023.
“The Forum equally evaluated the programmes and initiatives of the Federal Government and it is evident that, since the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria, no other President has given the North-Central as many opportunities as much as President Bola Tinubu.
“No other President has brought as many infrastructural projects to the North-Central as the President Tinubu administration.
“After assessing the state of the nation, the North-Central APC Forum is of the view that President Bola Tinubu has done well to earn a second term in office.
“An assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s policies also shows that he is taking the country in the right direction and deserves the support of all Nigerians to get the country there.
“The economic policies introduced by President Tinubu are already making the expected impact, with the recent strengthening of the Naira in the foreign exchange market, improvement in volume of oil production, and rise in foreign reserves, among others.
“President Tinubu’s policies in the petroleum sector have already eliminated scarcity, and we believe that, with time, Nigerians will witness reduction in the cost of petroleum products, which would reverse inflation in the county.
“The APC North-Central Forum believes President Bola Tinubu deserves a second term to midwife these reforms which are already bearing fruit, and we call on all Nigerians to support his administration to improve the situation in the country.
“After extensive considerations, North-Central APC Forum has given the President a passmark on insecurity, appointments, infrastructure, economy and other areas. We stand firmly behind President Bola Tinubu as his bold leadership has brought significant progress to our region, and we believe he is the right person to continue leading Nigeria towards greater prosperity.
“We urge all Nigerians to rally behind the President and support him for a second term, to enable his administration to deepen the gains of his reform policies.
“Just as we worked for his election in 2023, the North-Central APC Forum assures President Tinubu and all his supporters that we will again work for his reelection in 2027,” the North-Central APC Forum said in a statement released to announce the endorsement of President Tinubu for the 2027 election.
