2027: APC yet to decide Tinubu’s running mate – National Secretary

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has said it is too early to discuss who will be President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 presidential election.

Basiru made this known during an interview on Channels Television on Friday, stressing that while the party has overwhelmingly endorsed Tinubu to fly its flag in 2027, the question of a running mate would only come up after the party’s national convention, typically held a year before the general elections.

“As far as we are concerned, the national summit held at the Presidential Villa endorsed Mr. President based on his performance and the support of a wide spectrum of party stakeholders. The question of a running mate is not on the table yet, and the President has not made any adverse decision regarding the current Vice President,” he stated.

Addressing the controversy that trailed the APC Northeast stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe on Sunday, June 15—where Tinubu was endorsed for a second term without any mention of Vice President Kashim Shettima—Basiru dismissed the issue as exaggerated.

He said he was physically present at the event and maintained that disagreements in a democratic setting are normal.

“Some individuals in the North-East believed endorsing the President was sufficient, trusting him to decide on a running mate later. Others felt that since the summit held in the region, the Vice President, who is from the North-East, also deserved explicit endorsement,” he explained.

Basiru reiterated that, according to APC procedures, only a presidential candidate is produced at the convention, while the choice of a running mate comes afterward.

“Our party has not made any official statement or taken any position on the politics of the North-East. The issue of a running mate will be decided in due time, after the candidate emerges,” he concluded.