A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against dropping Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued Monday, the group described Shettima as the political face of the former ANPP bloc within the APC and emphasized that any attempt to remove him as running mate in 2027 would be met with mass defection.
The statement, signed by the group’s national coordinator, Abdullahi Ibrahim, stressed that Shettima represents not only the ANPP legacy within the APC but also a key symbol of Northern inclusion and party unity.
“Vice President Shettima is not just a loyal party man, but the only political figure from the ANPP stock holding a significant national position in the current administration. Dropping him would be tantamount to erasing the ANPP’s historical role in the formation of the APC,” the statement read.
The group further warned that such a decision would lead to political instability within the ruling party and alienate a critical bloc that contributed to its success in both 2015 and 2019.
“We will not hesitate to mobilize our structures across the country to leave the APC if this agenda of dumping Shettima is pursued,” the statement added.
While there has been no official indication from the presidency of any plans to replace Shettima, speculations around a potential change in Tinubu’s 2027 ticket have reportedly unsettled some party stakeholders. The ANPP bloc’s statement is seen as a proactive move to defend its political stake.
The ANPP, alongside the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the new PDP, formed the APC in 2013 to unseat the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
