THE National Vice Chairman (North-East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has clarified why his public endorsement of President Bola Tinubu did not include Vice President Kashim Shettima, amid growing rumours of internal friction within the party.
Salihu, who spoke as a guest on Politics Today on Channels Television on Monday monitored by News Point Nigeria, explained that his omission of Shettima’s name during the endorsement at Sunday’s APC North-East summit in Gombe was in line with party convention and constitutional provisions.
“In my full speech—the last paragraph before the endorsement—I eulogised Kashim Shettima, recognising him as our son and expressing that we stand by him as people of the North-East.
“I also appreciated the national security adviser as our son, whom we are proud of, and acknowledged all the ministers and parastatals given to North-East indigenes, thanking Asiwaju [Tinubu] for that, before calling for the endorsement of him as the sole presidential candidate,” he said.
Salihu stressed that during party primaries, the endorsement process pertains only to presidential aspirants, not their running mates.
“In party politics, we have only one ticket at the primary stage—for the executive chairman, local government chairman, governors, and president. There is no provision in our constitution that allows for the endorsement of a joint ticket at that level.
“It is only after the primaries, when a candidate emerges, that he chooses a running mate. That choice remains the constitutional prerogative of the presidential candidate, even though consultations may occur,” he said.
He said this rationale informed why governors such as Mai Mala Buni of Yobe and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe similarly endorsed Tinubu without jointly endorsing Shettima, even while praising the vice president as “our own”.
Asked about speculation suggesting a rift between the President and his vice, Salihu dismissed the rumours as distractions fuelled by “conflict entrepreneurs”.
“The administration of a party is not run on social media, newspapers, or television. It’s handled internally,” he asserted.
“These kinds of rumours are inevitable in every administration—people will always try to suggest friction between the principal and the Vice. It’s what some insecure politicians thrive on. But if you’re secure in yourself, you shouldn’t be bothered by such noise.”
On concerns that the omission of Shettima’s name from the endorsement could create discontent in the North-East, Salihu disagreed, arguing that “Anybody saying there’s discontent is simply wrong.
“I’m in Yola. I’ve engaged with members from Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi, and Yobe. We all stayed up the night before the summit brainstorming,” he said.
“We did what the law permits—mentioning and praising our son. Other zones didn’t even have that obligation. We don’t have a vice-presidential ticket to offer; there’s only one ticket—president. Endorsing Tinubu with conditions would have been inappropriate.”
He added that suggesting who should be Tinubu’s running mate would amount to “putting the cart before the horse.”