•Yerima describes rumour-mongers as short-sighted
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports circulating in sections of the media suggesting a planned replacement of Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

In a statement yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the reports as “speculative, untrue and utterly baseless”.

The clarification followed media reports and political conjecture in recent weeks,which featuredthe names of some senior party figures and political officeholders touted as potential alternatives to Shettima on the APC’s 2027 presidential ticket.

Although the reports did not cite official party sources, they gained traction across traditional and social media platforms, fuelling debate about the composition of the APC’s future presidential ticket.

Morka cautioned media organisations against lending credibility to rumour-peddlers and what he described as mischievous news sources whose sole objective, he said, was to promote discord and sow confusion within the polity.

The APC stressed that, in line with existing laws and electoral regulations, the ban on political activities remains in force, noting that the party is not engaged in any discussions regarding the 2027 elections at this time.

The APC maintained that it remains fully focused on supporting President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in delivering the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, as well as on entrenching bold reforms that are “steadily transforming the economy, building prosperity and improving the living conditions of Nigerians”.

The party further called on its ministers, senior government officials and party leaders to avoid actions or comments—whether deliberate or inadvertent—that could fuel unnecessary speculation.

All officials, the APC said, should instead concentrate on their primary responsibility of diligent service to government and the party, while strengthening and promoting the achievements of the Tinubu-led administration.

MEANWHILE,a senior chieftain of the APC has described persons peddling the rumours about Tinubu dropping Shettima as presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 General Elections as short-sighted.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Yerima also stressed that those pushing for a change in the ticket are largely the same individuals who opposed it during the 2023 elections.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that tampering with the Tinubu/Shettima ticket would be detrimental to the APC’s prospects in 2027.
“It is appalling that those who doubted this ticket’s ability to deliver victory in 2023 are now working around the clock to change it.

“They must be stopped, or the party risks its greatest defeat yet,” he said. Yerima also described advocates for altering the ticket as “politically naive,” adding that the North-Central zone has already been adequately represented through several high-profile federal appointments.

The warning follows concerns raised by Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, over Shettima’s perceived exclusion from certain party activities.

Lawan specifically noted that Shettima’s image was absent from banners depicting APC leaders during a recent North-East Governors and stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri, Borno State.