The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has warned President Bola Tinubu against yielding to pressure to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections, cautioning that such a move could cost him as much as 80 percent of northern Muslim votes.
The warning was issued in Abuja on Saturday in a statement signed by the Forum’s chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, who was also a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in 2023.
Zazzaga argued that the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which stirred controversy during the 2023 elections, was a “winning formula” and abandoning it in 2027 would amount to political suicide for the ruling party.
“Our sincere advice for Mr President is that he should maintain the status quo that produced him. President Tinubu will lose 80 percent of northern Muslim votes if he decides to change Shettima.
“Even if he replaces him with another northern Muslim, the damage would already have been done,” the statement read.
The Forum’s position counters calls from the Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum and other stakeholders who have urged Tinubu to reconsider the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Critics argue that the ticket cost the APC several strongholds in the North-Central, including Plateau, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory in 2023.
But Zazzaga dismissed those concerns, insisting that the President’s achievements in office, coupled with the presence of key northern Christian figures such as APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, would secure Middle Belt votes for the APC.
“Those who voted against the APC in 2023, particularly in Christian-dominated areas, will still not support Tinubu even if he drops Shettima. Many of those communities supported Peter Obi then, and will likely do the same in 2027,” the Forum maintained.
The Forum further accused some individuals close to the President of alienating Muslim communities in the North by allegedly focusing campaign efforts and resources on northern Christians. It warned that the strategy was “counterproductive” and could backfire if not checked.
Zazzaga therefore urged Tinubu not to “gamble with a winning team,” stressing that dropping Shettima would not win over Christian voters but would instead weaken the APC’s Muslim base in the North.
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