Ajibola Basiru, the National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that President Bola Tinubu has strong support from party members to seek re-election in 2027, although discussions about his running mate have not yet begun.
Basiru, a former Senate spokesman, explained that the choice of a running mate would be addressed following the party’s convention, typically held about a year before the general election.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief program, monitored by Tunexreportes he emphasized that the national summit conducted at the Presidential Villa had endorsed President Tinubu, citing his accomplishments and broad backing from party stakeholders. He noted that there has been no discussion regarding the current vice president’s status.
On June 15, 2025, a summit for APC stakeholders in the North-East region turned contentious when APC North-East Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, declared Tinubu the sole candidate for re-election without acknowledging Vice President Kashim Shettima, leading some members to protest for Shettima’s inclusion.
Basiru, who was present at the summit, remarked that differing opinions are normal in a democratic setting. He clarified that there was no major issue at the summit despite some attendees feeling the need to endorse both the president and the vice president, given the summit’s location. He reiterated that only the presidential candidate would be declared at the upcoming national convention, while discussions about the running mate would happen later.
In the 2023 elections, Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos, selected Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, as his running mate, and they won the election, taking office on May 29, 2023. On May 22, 2025, 22 APC governors collectively endorsed Tinubu for the 2027 election without mentioning the vice president.
However, Senator Ali Ndume from Borno South expressed his disapproval of Tinubu’s re-election endorsement, recalling that former President Goodluck Jonathan had also received the backing of 22 governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, yet lost to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.
