The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Ajibola Basiru, says President Bola Tinubu’s running mate would be decided after the party’s convention which is usually held about one year before the general election.
This was as he said Tinubu enjoys an overwhelming endorsement from party stakeholders to run for re-election in 2027 but discussions for the choice of his running mate are not on the table yet.
Basiru made this statement on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Friday.
“As far as we are concerned, the national summit held in the Presidential Villa has endorsed Mr. President based on his track record and a large spectrum of stakeholders in our party have also overwhelmingly given endorsement to Mr. President.
“The question of running mate is not yet onboard and nobody has come to say that the President has made any adverse decision as regards the present Vice President,” he sai
This was also confirmewd by Special Adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
When asked why the presidency has not reacted to the allegation, Onanuga dismissed the subject as a “non-issue,” saying that in a presidential system, the presidential candidate is nominated before a running mate is selected.
Onanuga said, “That’s what happened under Buhari; he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once.
“Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate.”
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The presidential spokesperson also dismissed the speculation of a rift between President Tinubu and Shettima as ‘a beer palour gist’, saying he is not aware of it.
“I’m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship. All the speculation is just beer parlour gossip,” he said.
“People even say ridiculous things like Seyi Tinubu is the vice president. Absolute nonsense.
“In this country, deputy roles, whether deputy governor or vice president, are always surrounded by rumours. Even when there’s no conflict, people around them will concoct stories. But as far as I know, Tinubu and Shettima work together very well.”
Onanuga also rejected the insinuation that Tinubu’s relationship with former deputies during his stint as Lagos governor is an ominous sign for Shettima.
“That’s just speculation. Yes, when he was governor, there were issues. In his first term, he and his deputy, Kofo, didn’t get along, and she had to leave,” Onanuga said.
“Femi Pedro replaced her. In the second term, he retained Pedro, but Pedro later defected — he wanted to be governor. That’s why he had to go. I don’t want to reopen old wounds, but that’s what happened.
“So, it’s wrong to say he has a pattern of discarding deputies. There were specific political circumstances each time. That’s what I’m explaining.”