The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned party leaders and government officials against what it described as "needless speculations" over the possible replacement of Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu's running mate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Daily Trust reports that the warning comes amid an ongoing internal debate within the ruling party over whether to retain the Muslim-Muslim ticket that powered the APC's victory in the 2023 presidential election or alter the configuration in 2027.
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The party issued the caution yesterday in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, dismissing reports suggesting that Shettima may be dropped as "purely speculative, untrue and utterly baseless".
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The APC described individuals commenting on the issue as "rumour-peddlers and mischievous 'news sources' of questionable provenance whose only intention is to promote discord and confusion in the polity".
"Under our laws and electoral regulations, the ban on political activities remains in force. 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 bold reforms that are steadily transforming the economy, building prosperity and uplifting the living conditions of our people," the statement read.
It added: "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, and bolster the success and achievements of President Tinubu, our inimitable and visionary leader."
The party's intervention followed renewed speculation last week after Shettima's image was omitted from a poster during a major party event in Maiduguri, Borno state. The omission echoed a similar controversy in 2025 when North East stakeholders endorsed Tinubu in Gombe without including the vice president.
The issue returned to the front burner at the weekend after the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, warned that the APC could be putting its 2027 electoral prospects at risk if it drops Shettima from Tinubu's re-election ticket.
Musawa made the remarks during an episode of Mic On Show with journalist Seun Okinbaloye, amid mounting speculation that the party may revisit the religious balance of its presidential ticket.
According to the minister, removing Shettima or replacing him with a non-Northern Muslim running mate would pose serious political challenges for the APC, particularly in core northern states.
"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, arguing that political sentiments in the North remain deeply shaped by identity considerations.
Similarly, an APC chieftain and former member of the House of Representatives, Prof Haruna Yerima, cautioned the party against tampering with the Tinubu-Shettima ticket.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the academic said those calling for a change were the same elements who "fought tooth and nail" against the Muslim-Muslim ticket during the 2023 election cycle.
"There is no gainsaying the fact that tampering with the Tinubu-Shettima presidential ticket would not augur well for the APC in the 2027 general elections," Yerima said.
The debate has also drawn in former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who weighed in on growing agitation for a Northern Christian running mate in 2027 to address concerns over religious marginalisation.
Speaking on Channels Television, Dogara cautioned against efforts to divide the North along religious lines, warning that such a move could weaken the region's political influence.
"I have always insisted that anybody who divides the North along religious lines has actually conquered the North," he said.
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Dogara confirmed that discussions were ongoing within the APC over the possibility of fielding a Christian vice-presidential candidate in 2027, but stressed that the final decision rests solely with President Tinubu.
He, however, distanced himself from speculations linking him to the vice-presidential slot, insisting that governance decisions should not be driven by political fear or pressure.
"Whatever we are doing shouldn't be because we are afraid of anybody breathing down our necks; it should be because it is the right thing to do," he said.
He argued that discussions around power rotation and representation must be guided by inclusiveness and fairness, stressing the need to build a political system that accommodates Nigeria's diversity.
"We are talking about running an inclusive government, bringing everybody in this country together, so that we can build a nation that works for all of us," Dogara said.
