The All Progressives Congress has officially retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election, ending prolonged speculation over the composition of the party’s presidential ticket.
The ruling party confirmed the decision on Friday as it formally submitted the completed nomination forms of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for onward transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the statutory deadline.
The nomination documents were presented to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja by the President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a gathering attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state party chairmen and several governorship candidates.
The submission came a day before INEC’s 6 p.m. Saturday deadline for political parties to upload the names and nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its electronic nomination portal, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Speaking during the event, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the occasion as the formal presentation of the nomination documents of the party’s presidential flag bearer and his running mate.
He noted that President Tinubu had emerged as the party’s candidate through the APC presidential primary and urged members across the country to remain united as preparations intensify for the 2027 general election.
Also addressing party leaders, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, said APC governors remained fully committed to President Tinubu, the party and its leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma called on party members to rally behind all APC candidates, expressing confidence that the ruling party would secure victory and retain power in the next general election.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, said the development reflected the overwhelming confidence of party members in President Tinubu’s leadership and the administration’s record.
He highlighted programmes such as the student loan initiative, ongoing infrastructure development and agricultural interventions as evidence of the administration’s performance, expressing optimism that Nigerians would renew the Tinubu-Shettima mandate.
“We will all come out and mobilise across the six geopolitical zones. I am sure there will be healthy competition among the governors.
“One geopolitical zone has already told me they will deliver the highest number of votes for Mr President. I will be happy to see such competition among the governors as they mobilise their states so that we can see which state will return the highest number of votes for Mr President,” he stated.
Yilwatda added that the APC would anchor its campaign on the achievements of the Tinubu administration, expressing confidence that voters would reward the party with another four-year mandate.
The party also put an end to lingering rumours surrounding the vice-presidential slot, with the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, confirming that both Tinubu and Shettima would jointly fly the party’s flag in the 2027 presidential race.
“The presidential candidate of the party is President Bola Ahmed, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and our vice presidential candidate is the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shetima,” he stated.
With the formal submission of their nomination forms to the party for transmission to INEC, the APC has now officially adopted the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for the 2027 presidential election, bringing months of uncertainty over the vice president’s political future within the ruling party to an end.
(Ripples)
