The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly dismissed as “speculative, untrue and utterly baseless” media reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima could be replaced as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement on Monday, the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said the party had observed what it described as a “growing media frenzy” over the supposed plan to alter the party’s presidential ticket. According to the statement, the rumours have recently intensified with the circulation of specific names alleged to be under consideration as replacements for Shettima.
Morka urged media organisations not to amplify unverified reports from “rumour-peddlers and mischievous news sources of questionable provenance,” warning that such coverage could promote discord and confusion in the polity.
He also reminded the public that under current electoral laws, the ban on political activities remains in force and that it is too early to engage in speculative succession politics.
“The stories circulating about a possible replacement for the Vice President are baseless and misleading,” Morka said, stressing that the party’s current priority is the implementation of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda — an economic reform programme aimed at transforming the economy, building prosperity and improving living standards nationwide.
In his statement, Morka also cautioned ministers, senior government officials and party leaders against making comments or taking actions that could inadvertently fuel unnecessary speculation, urging them instead to focus on governance and the success of the Tinubu administration.
The APC’s clarification comes amid ongoing public and internal party discussions about strategic balancing of the 2027 ticket. Previous reports suggest that some party caucuses and regional groups have publicly weighed in on the importance of maintaining ethnic and regional balance on the ticket, reflecting wider debates over unity and electoral strategy ahead of the polls.
President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, who hail from the South-West and North-East respectively, won the 2023 election on a Muslim–Muslim ticket — a configuration that drew both support and criticism across different regions of the country.
