The embers of discontent flared at the All Progressives Congress (APC) North‑East Stakeholders Meeting yesterday, as a political storm gathered around a conspicuous omission: Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Amid cheers for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, regional delegates were jolted when the endorsement call for the 2027 presidential race dropped Shettima’s name. That single exclusion — seemingly calculated, perhaps careless — turned a routine gathering into a full-blown rebellion.
Chairs were thrown. Voices rose. Tempers soared. “Shettima! Shettima!” chanted delegates from Borno, Yobe, and Bauchi, making clear that any vision of a Tinubu re-election without his Northern partner was not only unacceptable, but unthinkable.
A Flame That Lit the Mandate
In 2023, the Tinubu-Shettima ticket defied convention, igniting both controversy and hope. A Southern Muslim paired with a Northern Muslim — it was a bold arithmetic of faith, geography, and strategy. Critics cried foul, but the results silenced many: over 8.7 million votes and a hard-won presidency.
Yet beyond politics, Shettima brought something deeper: intellectual gravitas. A former banker, senator, and two-term governor, he became the administration’s philosophical anchor — known for measured wit, data-driven thought, and a sharp grasp of Nigeria’s fragile economic balance.
His efforts in steering key national programs, from educational innovation to regional stabilization, have not gone unnoticed — not at home, not abroad.
Storm in the Savannah
Yesterday’s chaos began when APC North‑East Vice Chairman, Salihu Mustapha, declared full endorsement for Tinubu — but left out Shettima. The reaction was immediate and fierce.
“You can’t rewrite history,” a delegate from Borno shouted. “This presidency was built together. You do not amputate a winning team.”
It wasn’t just street-level rage. The three APC governors present — Zulum (Borno), Buni (Yobe), and Yahaya (Gombe) — swiftly aligned with the full Tinubu‑Shettima re-election formula. The people had spoken, and their leaders were listening.
A Mind Behind the Curtain
Kashim Shettima has become more than a vice president. He is the strategic compass of a reformist administration under pressure.
While President Tinubu tackles legacy burdens and tough economic reforms, Shettima has emerged as the brain behind policy detail. In global engagements, he holds his own among scholars and diplomats. In cabinet meetings, he’s often the clearest voice in the room. His commitment to rebuilding Northern Nigeria, attracting FDI, and ensuring youth inclusion has gained bipartisan respect.
To drop him now would not only be unjust — it would be self-destructive.
Loyalty is Not a Crime
Dr. G. Fraser, MFR, Founder of The National Patriots and a noted political strategist, put it bluntly:
“If loyalty, intelligence, and competence are no longer virtues in Nigerian politics, then what is? Shettima has stood shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu through storm and fire. Unless he has committed treason, corruption, or is incapacitated, no region — not even the president — has moral or constitutional right to remove him. The ticket was earned. It must be honoured.”
A Warning Wrapped in Applause
The APC may now face a fork in the road: unity or rupture. While power blocs jostle for leverage, the people — especially from the North‑East — have drawn a red line. Any move to sideline Shettima risks alienating millions, not just emotionally but electorally.
The North remembers. And it votes.
Let no one forget: in 2023, the Tinubu-Shettima vision prevailed because it was a pact — of reform, of inclusion, of resilience. Undoing that pact may win cheers from shadowy camps, but it will cost the APC far more at the polls.
For now, the storm may have passed. But the clouds remain.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative report.
