PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu will choose his running mate for the 2027 presidential election only after formally accepting the party’s nomination during its convention in 2026.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, disclosed this on Thursday in an exclusive interview with this newspaper.
Responding to a question on why the presidency has remained silent amid growing controversy over the omission of Vice President Kashim Shettima from a wave of endorsements for Tinubu, Onanuga dismissed suggestions that the silence amounted to tacit approval of the vice president’s exclusion.
“When I read the report, I dismissed it as a non-issue. In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate. That’s what happened under Buhari—he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once.
“Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate,” he said.
Onanuga also rejected claims that Tinubu’s record as governor of Lagos State—where he changed deputies twice—indicates a plan to drop Shettima ahead of 2027.
“That’s just speculation. Yes, when he was governor, there were issues. In his first term, he and his deputy, Kofo, didn’t get along, and she had to leave. Femi Pedro replaced her. In the second term, he retained Pedro, but Pedro later defected—he wanted to be governor. That’s why he had to go. I don’t want to reopen old wounds, but that’s what happened.
“So, it’s wrong to say he has a pattern of discarding deputies. There were specific political circumstances each time. That’s what I’m explaining,” he said.
The presidential aide added that the speculation of a rift between Tinubu and Shettima—circulating even before the current endorsement debate—was baseless.
“I’m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship. All the speculation is just beer parlour gossip. People even say ridiculous things like Seyi Tinubu is the vice president—absolute nonsense.
“In this country, deputy roles—whether deputy governor or vice president—are always surrounded by rumours. Even when there’s no conflict, people around them will concoct stories. But as far as I know, Tinubu and Shettima work together very well,” he said.
Asked whether his comments meant the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought Tinubu to power in 2023 would be repeated in 2027, Onanuga said the matter was no longer an issue, insisting that earlier fears about Islamisation had been dispelled.
“Christians are living their lives. The president even attended the Pope’s inauguration in Rome. There’s nothing to worry about.
“Many of the names being speculated as potential running mates are Muslims. So again, this isn’t an issue,” he added.
Responding to criticisms about the flurry of endorsements for the president despite INEC not officially declaring the campaign period open, Onanuga said it was a necessary response to opposition attacks.
“The endorsements are a reaction to something. If those in the so-called coalition had not started throwing missiles at the Tinubu administration and the APC, the APC would have waited until early next year to respond. But we had to show that we’re not asleep but ready to square up. You can’t expect the president to sit by while his opponents are plotting openly against him.
“We’re grateful for the confidence they have in him. Of course, we welcome the endorsements, even though the campaign period hasn’t officially begun. Everyone knows that. But because the opposition jumped the gun, the ruling party can’t just fold its arms,” he added.
This newspaper reports that the omission of Vice President Kashim Shettima from a wave of endorsements for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has stirred unease in recent weeks, culminating in a tense standoff during the APC North East stakeholders’ summit held in Gombe last weekend.
Although party leaders from the zone eventually endorsed the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for the 2027 election, it followed a rowdy session triggered by the refusal of the APC national vice chairman (North East), Salihu Mustapha, to endorse Shettima alongside the president.
Prior to the Gombe summit, questions had already been mounting over Shettima’s political future after party chieftains endorsed Tinubu as the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election at last month’s APC National Summit held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The development fuelled speculation that Tinubu might be planning to replace Shettima as his running mate. Political observers suggested the president was considering four possible alternatives.
Daily Trust