2027: Tinubu Yet to Pick Running Mate –Presidency

President Bola Tinubu will decide on his running mate for the 2027 general election only after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) holds its next convention, according to the presidency.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the clarification in an interview with Daily Trust, amid growing speculation that Vice President Kashim Shettima may be replaced ahead of the next election.

The speculation followed an APC stakeholders’ summit in Gombe, where President Tinubu was endorsed for a second term but Shettima’s name was noticeably absent from the endorsement, an omission that led to disruptions at the event.

Onanuga dismissed the controversy, calling it a “non-issue”, and explained that in Nigeria’s presidential system, a candidate is selected first before a running mate is chosen. He added that a decision will only be made after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) releases the election timetable and the party holds its convention.

He also rejected reports of a rift between the president and the vice president, describing them as “beer parlour gossip” and insisting that both men share an excellent working relationship.

Responding to comparisons with President Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos governor  where relationships with some deputies were strained,  Onanuga said those cases were due to specific political circumstances and should not be viewed as a recurring pattern.