‘Don’t Try It’: Mumuni Warns Tinubu That Dropping Shettima for a Christian VP Will Crash 2027 Ticket
ABUJA — A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abayomi Nurain Mumuni, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu against replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima on the 2027 presidential ticket, describing such a move as a “strategic miscalculation” that could cost the party its hold on power.
Mumuni, a security expert who served on the Intelligence and Security Directorate of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in 2023, gave this warning in a statement released on Wednesday.
His comments come amidst growing speculation that the party hierarchy is considering dropping Shettima for a Christian candidate from the North to balance the ticket’s religious optics. These rumors intensified earlier this week after the Vice President’s photograph was conspicuously missing from the official banner at the APC North-East Zonal Public Hearing on the party’s constitution amendment.
“The North Has No Strong Christian Candidate”
Dismissing the agitation for a religious reshuffle, Mumuni argued that political realities must trump sentiment. He contended that the Northern region currently lacks a Christian politician with the necessary grassroots clout to deliver the massive vote numbers required to secure a second term for the President.
“Discussions about replacing Shettima with a Christian vice-presidential candidate are not strategically sound in the current political climate,” Mumuni stated. “The northern region presently lacks a Christian candidate with sufficient grassroots support and nationwide appeal to complement President Bola Tinubu’s electoral strength.”
He insisted that the 2027 election will hinge on “electoral arithmetic,” not religious appeasement, warning that any attempt to experiment with the ticket at this stage “could jeopardize the winning formula” that brought the administration into office.
Loyalty as a Stabilizer
The APC chieftain also highlighted Shettima’s track record of loyalty as a critical asset that the President cannot afford to lose. He described the Vice President as a stabilizing factor in the administration who has remained aligned with Tinubu’s vision despite the economic challenges facing the nation.
“Replacing a vice president who has demonstrated consistency and unwavering loyalty would be a self-inflicted wound,” Mumuni noted. “Shettima’s alignment with the President’s policy objectives has kept the ship steady. Discarding him now would signal instability to the electorate.”
The Banner Controversy
The controversy started when party stakeholders in the North-East raised an alarm over the omission of Shettima’s image from the zonal hearing banner—a move some interpreted as a subtle signal of his waning influence.
However, Mumuni urged the party leadership to focus on consolidating its achievements rather than engaging in internal politicking that could alienate key voting blocs in the core North.