It was President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who first threw a below-the-belt jab at opposition political parties last week at an event many of the opposition figures were present in the National Assembly; but now his own ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is showing signs of cracks within.
At the recent Democracy Day celebration President Tinubu’s remarked concerning the defection of prominent members of opposition party members, including two governors and 12 federal lawmakers: “It’s my pleasure to see you in disarray.”
However, the APC is now grappling with mounting internal tensions following a controversial endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in 2027—an announcement that conspicuously excluded any mention of Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Whether the President is involved is another matter entirely, but the body language of top party officials from the North appears to speak volumes of a plot against Shettima. There have been whispers of a coolness in the relationship between Tinubu and his deputy for months, but Sunday’s event brought it to the fore.
On Sunday during a high-stakes North-East stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe State, which descended into chaos after party leaders, including APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and North-East Vice Chairman Mustapha Salihu, endorsed Tinubu as the sole candidate for 2027 without acknowledging Shettima, a former governor of Borno State and the region’s highest-ranking figure in government.
Salihu, who first made the declaration, triggered immediate outrage among delegates, many of whom protested vocally, with some threatening violence. Tensions escalated further when Ganduje, despite delivering a nearly 10-minute address, also omitted Shettima’s name—fueling perceptions of a calculated political slight. Both men were separately escorted out of the venue by security personnel to prevent physical confrontations.
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum led a protest at the event, denouncing the exclusion as a “deliberate slight” against the North-East and warning of potential political fallout. Despite an attempt by Deputy National Chairman (North), Bukar Dalori, to calm tensions by reaffirming support for both Tinubu and Shettima as a joint ticket, the damage appeared done.
The incident follows last month’s APC national summit in Abuja, where Ganduje had also declared Tinubu the party’s presumptive 2027 flagbearer—again with no clarity on Shettima’s role. The repeated omissions have sparked anxiety within the North-East bloc and raised fears that Shettima may be sidelined despite his instrumental role in the 2023 victory.
Observers say the episode reflects deepening cracks within the ruling party, especially among stakeholders from the North-East who feel marginalised.
