A group under the auspices of Tinubu Next Level has berated the Governor of Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum for masterminding the fiasco that greeted the All Progressives Congress (APC) North-East zonal meeting on Sunday.
TheHintsNews reports that on Sunday a caucus meeting of North-East APC members held a meeting to announce their endorsement of President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Their endorsement left out Vice President Shettima, who hails from the North-East zone.
Checks revealed that their action sparked reaction from the pro-Shettima faction, which is led by the Borno State governor, Zulum.
The governor had threatened that the North-east would only vote for APC in 2027 if Shettima is picked as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate.
During the rally, the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje was smuggled out of the venue when he was almost lynched by mob.
However, the situation had thrown the ruling party into a gale of controversy, fueling speculations that President Tinubu would not pick Shettima as running mate in 2027.
But, the group, in a statement issued by its President, Ango Zubair on Wednesday, noted that the action of the Zulum-led dissidents brought embarrassment to President Bola Tinubu and APC members across the country.
It stressed that asking the North-East zone of the party to force the President’s hands into appointing Shettima as his running mate was against the principles of democratic politicking in a presidential system of government.
For emphasis, the group pointed out that Vice President Kashim Shettima would not be the first Vice President to be dropped in a second term bid, and he would not be the last
The group noted: “We wish to register our utter displeasure to the actions of Governor Babagana Zulum in insisting that the zonal endorsement accorded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu be extended to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“We find such a stance as being rude and orchestrated to embarrass the President and every member of the APC in Nigeria and abroad.
“It is within our rights to endorse the President for re-election, such as it is the right of the President to make the pick of his running mate in an election.
“Asking the North-East zone of the party to force the President’s hands into appointing Shettima as his running mate is against the principles of democratic politicking in a presidential system of government.
“For emphasis, Vice President Kashim Shettima will not be the first Vice President to be dropped in a second term bid, and he will not be the last.
“What Governor Zulum has expressed by his action and his other supporters is that their loyalty is not to the President, but to Shettima. That is where we have a major disagreement with them.
“If the President so wishes, he could as well orchestrate an impeachment of Vice President Shettima. But President Tinubu, out of the magnanimity of his heart, has not travelled this route in kicking Shettima out.
“If the President has shown decorum in the case of managing the workings of his presidency, the faction led by Zulum has shown lack of it, and that is very disappointing.”