“No Shettima, No North East for APC 2027” shouting rents air, as party’s Gombe meeting ends in crisis

By KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTERS, Gombe

“Salihu’s statement and endorsement implied that His Excellency Kashim Shettima will not return as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027 and that was what spoiled everything.”

The rumoured President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima of Borno State for Nuhu Ribadu of Adamawa from the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s joint ticket in his bid to re-contest for the presidential seat in 2027 appeared more to be real on Sunday June 15, 2025.

This reality dawned on everyone when the North East consultative stakeholders meeting in Gombe, expected to endorse President Tinubu for the re-election ended in serious physical crisis as key APC leaders’ speeches confirmed exclusion of the Vice President in the joint ticket, tactically.

The three North East All Progressives Congress (APC) State Governors, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State and the host, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, had all concluded their speeches endorsing the joint ticket of Kashim Shettima as vice president with Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president for the 2027 election.

Trouble, however, started when the National Vice Chairman of the APC in the North East zone, Comrade Mustapha Salihu, did not mention Kashim Shettima in the joint ticket even at the tail end of his speech. A majority of the delegates in the hall started shouting Shettima! Shettima!! Shettima!!!

Comrade Mustapha could barely finish his speech when he was physically confronted on stage by one of the diehard supporters of Shettima, causing commotion with chairs being thrown from one end of the hall to the other in the presence of dignitaries, party stalwarts and delegates, thus causing pandemonium in the entire hall of the International Conference Centre Gombe, venue of the meeting.

The commotion, which lasted for over twenty minutes could not be fully calmed even when the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

According to Ganduje, “this zone has produced the number two of this country, we are proud of this zone, we are proud of the North East and we are proud of Nigeria as a nation. I have to tell you, we have a progressive president, the leader of our party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we are proud of his deputy, his vice president. It is a one ticket according to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

He appealed for more unity, stressing that the party is highly interested in the North East. According to him, the party got 1.2 million votes from the zone during the 2023 presidential election and is expecting over a triple of that in 2027 and still concluded his speech without categorically mentioning Kashim Shettima in the joint ticket.

Immediately after his speech which was continually interrupted with demand for his endorsement for Tinubu/Kashim, Ganduje was hastily escorted out of the venue under tight security to avoid confrontation.

At this point, it became clear that there is a grand design to replace Shettima in the Tinubu ticket by a faction of the party making many delegates to start shouting ‘no Shettima, no APC North East’. Some vowed to go with Atiku Abubakar if Tinubu or the party dump Shettima in 2027.

The commotion resulted in many dignitaries including past and present Governors, past and present ministers, Senators, House of Representative members, party stalwarts from the North East and beyond leaving the hall unceremoniously.

This crisis has established a serious crack within the APC in the North East, the home base of Vice President Shettima. Many believe it is also capable of causing many political alignments and realignments in the coming weeks or months ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Even outside the hall, the police had to use teargas when tensions heightened forcing many to flee from the venue.

The APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, had to be smuggled out of the meeting venue in Gombe after giving his speech thought was to correct the oversight still failed to mention an affirmation of Tinubu/Shettima joint ticket, sensing his involvement in the plot to replace the vice president thus also confirming the rumours of Tinubu’s interest in Nuhu Ribadu.

Ultimately, the APC APC’s zonal vice chairman, Mustapha Salihu, started the eruption that happened in the hall when he stated that President Tinubu and his renewed hope have given North East the full cow and that there is no need to fight over the horns of the cow.

“We have no business not supporting this party with all the juicy appointments and responsibilities given to us by this government, I would want all members of the zonal executive committee to stand-up so that we will do the proper endorsement, because it is the zonal executive committee that holds the ticket.

“We want to reaffirm and also adopt the endorsement earlier done by the national working committee, that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is endorsed to be a sole candidate for 2027 election,” he stated.

Immediately after Salihu’s remarks, angry supporters of Kashim Shattima demanded that the National Vice Chairman to take back his statement and ensure that Shattima is endorsed to continue with Tinubu.

This interruption was immediately followed with some other actions from across thee hall leading to fighting, where chairs and other objects were seen flying among dignitaries. Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum who earlier announced his endorsement for Tinubu/Kashim to continue beyond 2027 as well as Gaduje and other leaders of party were immediately sighted battling to calm the situation.

“Salihu’s statement and endorsement implied that His Excellency Kashim Shettima will not return as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027 and that was what spoiled everything.

“The Borno delegation and we the people of North East see it as a direct affront,” a senior party chieftain who attended the meeting but requested anonymity reportedly said.