APC says talk of replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima is a distraction, insists no 2027 succession plans are underway
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has firmly dismissed speculation linking him to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s potential ticket as a running mate in the 2027 presidential election, describing the claims as unfounded and deliberately misleading.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Yilwatda said the rumours had no basis in reality and accused political opponents of stirring unnecessary controversy within the ruling party.
He also rejected reports suggesting that the APC was considering dropping Vice President Kashim Shettima, stressing that such claims were entirely fictional.
“Not true. Nobody is discussing anything about the issue of the vice president,” Yilwatda said.
‘No dust to raise’
According to the APC chairman, conversations about a vice-presidential candidate can only arise after the party concludes its presidential primary, not years ahead of the election.
He explained that the party’s internal processes make it impossible to nominate or even debate a running mate before a presidential candidate has emerged.
“The issue of candidature comes after the primary election. It is after that the party and the candidate will sit down to select and nominate a running mate,” he stated.
Yilwatda insisted that the speculation was being amplified by the opposition as a strategy to distract the ruling party from governance and party organisation.
“I laugh when I hear it. There is nothing like that at all. Nothing has been discussed,” he added.
He further revealed that he had previously warned APC political appointees and elected officials against making public comments on vice-presidential matters, noting that such discussions remain premature and unnecessary.
