Reports suggesting Shettima’s substitution baseless, malicious – APC Chieftain

Amid growing speculation about an alleged rift between President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Ismaeel Ahmed has firmly debunked such claims, describing them as baseless and malicious.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ahmed stressed there was no friction between the two leaders, insisting rumours about Shettima being replaced ahead of the 2027 presidential race were fabricated.

“It’s not true. Who in life has a perfect relationship with anyone? There’s trust between the president and vice president,” Ahmed stated, adding that there’s no discussion about substituting Shettima, and those peddling such talks lack understanding of how governance works.

He appealed to party members and Nigerians to focus on governance rather than political distractions, highlighting that the Tinubu-led administration still has much of its mandate to deliver.

“We’ve a four-year mandate. Two years are gone. There’s one year to primaries and two to the general elections. Let’s focus on governing,” he advised.

This comes on the heels of the North-East APC stakeholders’ summit held in Gombe, where National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, endorsed Tinubu for a second term but conspicuously left out Shettima’s name, causing uproar.

Ahmed, however, downplayed the drama, describing it as unnecessary melodrama.

“The president doesn’t need an endorsement from his own party. It’s a given he’ll be our candidate in 2027,” he said.

Ahmed also cautioned against prematurely treating political opponents as threats, adding that the party’s priority should be governance, not early electioneering.

“APC isn’t scared of opposition. The President encourages competition and isn’t afraid of it,” he noted.

Mustapha Salihu, in his own defence, dismissed claims of marginalising Shettima as the work of “conflict entrepreneurs”.

He insisted there’s no discontent in the North-East APC, explaining that the region’s leaders simply praised their son without suggesting any replacement for Tinubu’s running mate.

“The party is administered internally, not on social media or television,” Salihu said, reaffirming that discussions about the 2027 vice-presidential ticket were premature and misplaced.