2027: The Beginning of the End for APC? Tinubu’s Rumored Plan to Drop Shettima Sparks Northern Revolt.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
June 22, 2025
By dropping a political bombshell ahead of the 2027 general elections, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may have set the stage for the greatest political crisis the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ever faced. According to credible insiders within the party, President Tinubu is reportedly considering replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the 2027 elections—a move that could dismantle the fragile coalition that brought the APC to power in 2023.
The North-East was instrumental in delivering victory to the APC in the 2023 elections. States like Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi, and Taraba delivered sizable votes—thanks largely to Kashim Shettima’s influence as a former governor of Borno and a respected leader in the region. If Tinubu proceeds to replace him, political analysts warn that APC will likely lose the region entirely or drop to a dismal 20–30% vote share.
But the ripple effect will not stop there. Shettima’s political alliances cut deep into the North-West and North-Central. States such as Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Plateau, and parts of Benue and Kogi are also expected to experience backlash, especially from Muslim-Christian blocs who view Shettima as a bridge between regional divides.
Tensions reached a tipping point at the APC North-East stakeholders’ meeting held in Gombe. During the meeting, the party’s National Vice Chairman for the North-East, Mustapha Salihu, endorsed Tinubu for re-election—but conspicuously left out Shettima’s name. The omission was deafening.
The reaction was instant. A section of the crowd erupted in chants of “Shettima! Shettima!” before the event spiraled into chaos. A viral video captured an attendee storming the stage and attacking Salihu with a chair, while another hurled a plastic bucket at him. Security personnel were forced to intervene and escort the party official away as tempers flared.
Even APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, failed to address the growing Shettima concerns when he spoke later. His silence only deepened suspicions that the leadership is deliberately marginalizing the Vice President in the lead-up to 2027.
According to sources close to the presidency, Tinubu’s camp believes dropping Shettima could re-energize APC’s declining support in the South-East and some parts of the South-South. The strategy, however, appears deeply flawed. In trying to win over regions that never solidly backed the APC, the party risks alienating its core support base in the North.
What’s worse, this move has begun to expose deep fractures within the APC. Trusted party stalwarts from the North-East and North-West are beginning to feel betrayed, seeing the possible replacement as a political betrayal of a loyal bloc that delivered votes in 2023.
Speaking on national television, Mustapha Salihu attempted damage control, claiming that party rules allow only the endorsement of presidential candidates during the primary season, not vice presidential candidates. He emphasized that choosing a running mate is the prerogative of the presidential flagbearer after securing the party ticket.
However, political observers argue this explanation is a smokescreen for an agenda that is already in motion. If there truly were no decision yet on the running mate, why has Shettima been repeatedly excluded in major endorsements? And why was this “rule” not applied during the North-West endorsement rally held in Kaduna just weeks earlier?
Within APC, there are whispers of internal sabotage. Many believe that “bad eggs” within the party are fueling division for selfish ambition or external manipulation. A senior APC figure, who requested anonymity, warned that the seeds of APC’s downfall are being sown from within: “The party leadership has underestimated the political cost of sidelining Shettima. Without him, we risk a total collapse in the North.”
This betrayal may have lasting consequences. Already, rival parties such as the PDP and Labour Party are reportedly making inroads into Northern communities, capitalizing on the discontent. Northern elders, youth groups, and religious leaders have begun voicing their displeasure—quietly, for now, but perhaps not for long.
If Tinubu goes ahead and drops Shettima, it would not just be a miscalculation—it would be a fatal error. In Nigeria’s diverse and complex political landscape, loyalty matters. Representation matters. And in a country already deeply divided, political missteps like this can rapidly become existential threats to ruling parties.
Unless the APC re-evaluates its political strategies and begins to listen to the voices of its base—particularly in the North—it may find itself sleepwalking into electoral defeat. The 2027 elections will not just be about promises and manifestos. It will be about trust. And right now, the APC is dangerously close to losing it.
The warning signs are clear. Internal discord, regional alienation, and strategic blunders are threatening to unseat the APC from its current grip on power. The decision to consider removing Kashim Shettima may not just cost APC the North-East—it may cost them Aso Rock entirely. The countdown to APC’s fall may have already begun.
Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu can be reach 08060017934
