The National Vice Chairman (North East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has explained the reason Vice President Kashim Shettima was not included in the recent endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term.
Speaking on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television on Monday, Salihu said endorsing both the President and the Vice President at this time would have been politically premature.
According to him, “It would have been inappropriate to endorse the Vice President along with the President because it would pre-assume that he is the running mate.”
The issue arose after a North-East APC stakeholders’ meeting held in Gombe State on Sunday, where key party figures from the region publicly declared their support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, but conspicuously left out Vice President Shettima, who is from the region.
Salihu’s clarification comes amid growing speculation surrounding Shettima’s political future, as the omission raised eyebrows among observers and party members.
He, however, insisted that the decision does not signal any rift within the party or between the President and his deputy.
