The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum, a political pressure group within Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has opposed reported moves to replace Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, 22 January 2026, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the Forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, described any plan to drop Shettima as a serious political mistake, saying it could damage President Tinubu’s re-election chances.
The Forum reacted to reports suggesting that some individuals within the APC were pushing for a change in the vice-presidential slot.
Okay News reports that the speculation grew after Shettima’s photograph was not included on a banner displaying leading APC figures from Nigeria’s North-East region during the party’s zonal public hearing on the amendment of its constitution in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria.
According to the Forum, the incident has revived internal debate about whether the APC should retain the Muslim-Muslim ticket arrangement it used in the 2023 election, and what that means for Shettima’s political future as the 2027 contest approaches.
It also cited claims that some party stakeholders want Shettima replaced with a Christian candidate from Nigeria’s North, with particular attention on demands from some groups in the North-Central region that a Christian from the area should become Tinubu’s running mate in the next election.
However, the North-Central APC Forum said removing Shettima would be harmful to the party’s electoral calculations and could weaken Tinubu’s support base in the North.
The group added that the North-Central region was not lobbying for the vice-presidential position, saying its focus is on pursuing Nigeria’s presidency in 2031, after Tinubu’s current tenure.
Warning against turning the debate into a religious contest, the Forum argued that the North does not currently have a Christian candidate with the kind of grassroots acceptance, national reach, and political structure required to strengthen Tinubu’s chances as a running mate.
It maintained that changing the ticket could give opposition forces an opening in 2027, rather than expand the APC’s support.
“There is serious danger in changing a winning ticket. We totally and unequivocally reject calls and plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the next election.
“We sincerely advise President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the party not to listen to such calls, because such a decision will turn out to be a grievous political miscalculation,” the Forum stated.
The Forum further claimed that those pushing for Shettima’s removal were working against the interests of the party and the President.
“They do not want to see President Bola Tinubu re-elected. That is the only reason anybody with political knowledge would make such a request,” the statement said.
Looking at voting patterns in Nigeria’s North, the Forum argued that Tinubu would not gain fresh support by changing his running mate, and warned that dropping Shettima on religious grounds could instead reduce votes for the APC in parts of the region.
It also referred to ongoing opposition discussions, noting that if an opposition coalition backed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presents Peter Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria, as its presidential candidate, the Forum believes replacing Shettima would not significantly alter voting behaviour among some minority communities in the North.
“If you check, you will notice that in 2023, most of their communities voted for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
“Now if Peter Obi comes out again in 2027 on the platform of the ADC, what is the guarantee they will vote for Tinubu even if he drops Shettima and replaces him with a Christian? That is not going to happen.
“What is likely is that Tinubu will lose support among core northerners, thereby reducing his votes and giving the advantage to Peter Obi. Basic political calculation shows that dropping Shettima makes no sense and is actually very dangerous,” the statement said.
The Forum advised President Tinubu to keep the current arrangement, arguing that retaining Shettima would better protect the APC’s existing coalition ahead of 2027.
It also dismissed suggestions that foreign countries, including the United States and other Western nations, could pressure Nigeria to abandon the Muslim-muslim ticket approach in the next election cycle.
“The Muslim-muslim ticket gave us victory in 2023. Nigeria is an independent nation, and nobody is going to dictate to us,” the Forum added.
The group warned that foreign interference, if it becomes part of domestic political debates, could weaken democratic stability and trigger avoidable tensions.
