APC Chieftain Dismisses Calls to Drop Shettima, Says Tinubu Will Win in 2027

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Haruna Yerima, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure victory in the 2027 presidential election if he retains Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

Yerima stated this on Saturday in Abuja while reacting to a call by the Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum (NENF), which had urged Tinubu to drop Shettima to avoid repeating the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

The group had argued that Tinubu should instead select a Christian running mate from Plateau, Benue, or Taraba States to douse fears of an alleged Islamisation agenda under his administration.

According to NENF, retaining the same Muslim-Muslim ticket would hand the opposition an easy campaign strategy in 2027.

In a sharp rebuttal, Yerima described the suggestion as “insane and unfounded,” insisting that the Tinubu/Shettima ticket remains the strongest option for the ruling party.

“The claim that the APC may lose the 2027 presidential elections if President Bola Tinubu adopts Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate is insane and unfounded,” Yerima said.

The former House of Representatives member dismissed the notion that a joint Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi ticket could defeat the APC, describing it as “a jaundiced and amateur political permutation without any empirical backing.”

He further criticised Dominic Alancha, who spoke on behalf of the Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum, describing the body as a “faceless organisation” with no influence on the political process.

“We dismiss this statement by one Dominic Alancha of a faceless organisation, Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum, who urged President Tinubu to drop Sen.

Shettima and avoid repeating the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” Yerima said.

The APC chieftain maintained that Shettima has proven to be a loyal and competent vice president, stressing that the ticket’s religious composition should not overshadow the administration’s achievements or its political strength.