….Tinubu-Shettima ticket sacrosanct, despite fracas —APC

More facts emerged yesterday regarding the reasons that triggered the brawl, which disrupted the North-East Consultative Meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Gombe State, on Sunday, as key political actors began to speak on the matter.

Vanguard learnt from credible stakeholders in the North-East that mistrust has existed among the governors over who should replace Vice President Kashim Shettima, amid speculation that President Tinubu may not run with him again in 2027.

It was gathered that while some of those opposed to Shettima’s retention as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027 based their position on what they termed the “ineffectiveness of the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” others consider him a “dull politician” who has failed to speak up when it mattered most.

Among those in that camp are individuals pushing for either the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, or another northern candidate to replace Shettima in the next election.

Others, who still prefer a Muslim as running mate, support the current Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, to be considered for the number two position. However, they had not openly presented the proposal until the zonal meeting provided an opportunity.

Although the brewing opposition to Shettima was relatively unknown to many stakeholders, the issue has remained a topic of quiet debate among the three APC governors in the zone.

To prevent the matter from spilling into the public domain, the governors of Yobe, Gombe, and Borno reportedly held a series of meetings aimed at ensuring that the disagreement over Shettima did not surface publicly before, during, or after the Gombe meeting.

It was learnt that the purpose of the meetings was to adopt a unified position indicating that stakeholders from the six states of the North-East were unanimously backing both President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for re-election in 2027.

A top politician and former governor from one of the states who attended the meeting said:
“The governors were divided over the endorsement of Shettima. Only Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno agreed to the idea, while the governors of Yobe and Gombe remained neutral.

“Indeed, the three governors held multiple meetings in an effort to adopt a common position to present to stakeholders, but they could not reach a consensus.”

No cause for alarm

Meanwhile, the Deputy National Chairman (North) of APC, Ali Bukar Dalori, has said there is no cause for alarm in the party’s National Vice Chairman (North East), Mustapha Salihu’s endorsement of President Tinubu for a second term in the 2027 general elections-without mentioning Vice President Shettima as running mate-during the party’s Zonal Consultative Meeting held in Gombe State last Sunday.

Dalori said among others, “I have read in various national dailies about the outcome of our APC North-East Zonal Meeting in Gombe Sunday. Yes, I agree there was a fracas where some people felt aggrieved and hurled objects at Hon. Mustapha Salihu, the APC National Vice Chairman (North East), because he did not mention Kashim Shettima’s name after endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

“But whether Salihu did it intentionally or not, I want to assure the people of the North-East and Nigerians in general that there is no cause for alarm. Salihu is entitled to his political opinion.

Ganduje endorses joint ticket

Also reacting, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the National Chairman of APC, Oliver Okpala, condemned the attack on Dr Ganduje, during the meeting.

In a statement he said: “There is no space for violence in Nigeria’s political landscape at present. Party members should adhere to the civil tenets of political decency, decorum, and comportment in their political engagements.”

Okpala praised Ganduje’s leadership, saying: “The National Chairman of the APC is a father to all. Since assuming office, he has worked to unite members and shown love to all. His relationship with both the President and Vice President is solid-like the Rock of Gibraltar.”

“Even when Dr. Ganduje tried to diffuse the tension by reminding them that it is a joint ticket, these individuals-who seemed recalcitrant by nature-refused to see reason or accept his sincere explanation.
“He emphasized that the North-East produced Nigeria’s number two citizen and that the APC values the zone. The President and Vice President are constitutionally joined as one ticket-yet they still refused to listen.”

[Vanguard]