Category: Politics

Tensions Erupt in APC Over Alleged Plan to Drop VP Shettima in 2027

A major political rift has erupted within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, following allegations that Vice President Kashim Shettima may be dropped from President Bola Tinubu’s ticket for the 2027 elections.

The controversy reached a boiling point on Sunday during a North-East stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe, where a fracas broke out over perceived attempts to sideline Shettima.

The meeting, held at the Gombe International Conference Centre, descended into chaos after the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, failed to mention the Vice President in his speech endorsing Tinubu for re-election. Angry delegates, chanting “Shettima! Shettima!!”, physically confronted Salihu, forcing him off the stage amid flying chairs and buckets.

The unrest was sparked by fears that Shettima may be excluded from the 2027 joint ticket, despite strong grassroots support for him in the North-East. Several party leaders from Borno and Adamawa states viewed Salihu’s omission as a deliberate move to marginalize the Vice President, prompting some to threaten defection to the opposition if the move proceeds.

Although governors from Yobe, Borno, and Gombe publicly endorsed the Tinubu-Shettima ticket during the meeting, the Gombe Governor’s silence on Shettima’s role raised further suspicion. His vague comments about Tinubu’s leadership, without mentioning the Vice President, led to accusations of a “hidden agenda” from his camp.

The APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, attempted to calm the storm but also stopped short of explicitly confirming Shettima’s place on the 2027 ticket.

While acknowledging the North-East’s contributions to the 2023 election, his ambiguous remarks did little to pacify the enraged crowd, some of whom demanded that Shettima’s name be reaffirmed or risk electoral backlash.

Presidency and party officials have since denied any plan to replace the Vice President. Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, APC’s National Vice Chairman (South-East), dismissed the rumours as politically motivated fabrications, asserting that Tinubu and Shettima remain united and constitutionally bound as one ticket.

However, a number of party sources claim that internal discussions are ongoing among power brokers to replace Shettima with a “stronger northern figure” for strategic electoral reasons. Though unconfirmed, such claims have fueled resentment in Borno, Shettima’s home state, where party loyalists insist he must remain on the ticket.

Delegates from Borno have demanded a clear public endorsement of Shettima, calling Salihu’s remarks a “slap in the face” and warning of potential political consequences. While a communiqué affirming support for both Tinubu and Shettima is being prepared, the fallout from the Gombe meeting highlights growing divisions within the party.

Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Sani Dawop

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Sani Dawop, said on Monday that about seven governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have secretly been funding an opposition coalition against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

Dr Dawop dropped the hint in an interview with Trust TV News.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election; Mr Peter Obi, a former Kaduna State Governor; Nasir El-Rufai; and a former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, are spearheading the coalition.

Incidentally, the coalition is reported to be in talks with the ADC, with a view to securing the platform to challenge Tinubu in the next election.

“There are about six to seven APC governors who are funding the coalition. Go and check and go and do your investigation,” he said.

The ADC chief likened the ongoing realignments in the political space to when a breakaway group in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2013 joined other parties to form the APC that eventually routed the PDP in the 2015 presidential election.

“That is exactly what happened when the nPDP now joined APC in 2015. You understand?” he said, stressing that alignments and group interests are a constant feature in Nigeria’s multiparty system.

“In a political arrangement, you are free to have group interests. And that’s what you are talking about in PDP. You have the Atiku group, you have the Wike group and the others. The same thing with even the APC. You have the CPC group. You have the AD, which later became the ACN group. That’s the Tinubu group. They are still there. So those blocs are still there in politics.”

Dawop further said internal power blocs are not unusual and are often part of broader political strategies.

“It is part of the strategy in politics. You don’t release all your arsenals on day one. You have to keep some for the strategic moments, then you strike.”

“There are lots of issues that are happening that even within the APC, there are those who are not happy with the way things are going,” he emphasised

The ADC chieftain also criticised what he described as a lack of internal democracy among political parties and called for a fair political environment in future elections.

“You should provide a level playing field. That is a democracy. Let even people contest with the president.

“When Tinubu became president and won the ticket in the APC, he contested with other people. So if anybody feels so desired, those that are in APC that want to contest – that’s their own business anyway; they can go and contest, you understand.

“But they should allow a level playing field for those who are interested. The endorsements can go on. But I don’t think people should be suppressed; people should be denied the opportunity to contest, even with a sitting president, except if nobody shows interest. That is understandable.”

“There are lots of issues that are happening that even within the APC, there are those who are not happy with the way things are going,” he emphasised The ADC chieftain also criticised what he described as a lack of internal democracy among political parties and called for a fair political environment in future elections.“You should provide a level playing field. That is a democracy.

Let even people contest with the president.“When Tinubu became president and won the ticket in the APC, he contested with other people. So if anybody feels so desired, those that are in APC that want to contest – that’s their own business anyway; they can go and contest, you understand.“But they should allow a level playing field for those who are interested. The endorsements can go on.

But I don’t think people should be suppressed; people should be denied the opportunity to contest, even with a sitting president, except if nobody shows interest. That is understandable.”

IPOB Slams Gowon Over Civil War Remarks, Accuses Him of Historical Distortion

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has condemned former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, over his recent comments on the Nigerian Civil War, describing them as a “provocative, insensitive, and shameless” attempt to rewrite history and whitewash alleged atrocities committed during the conflict.

Gowon, speaking during the fifth Convention of the Christian Men’s Fellowship of the Diocese of Abuja at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Maitama, Abuja, reportedly stated that the Nigerian Civil War, fought between 1967 and 1970, was not motivated by hatred but was a necessary step to preserve the unity of the country. He also stressed the importance of forgiveness, reconciliation, and national unity across ethnic and religious lines.

Reacting in a press statement issued on Monday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, rejected Gowon’s narrative, asserting that it distorts historical facts and dishonors the memory of the millions of Biafrans who lost their lives. Powerful described the former Head of State’s comments as a deliberate insult to victims of what IPOB terms a premeditated genocidal campaign against the Biafran people.

According to the statement, IPOB accused Gowon of overseeing mass atrocities during the war, including widespread starvation, aerial bombardments, and mass executions. The group likened Gowon’s legacy to that of Adolf Hitler, claiming over five million Biafrans were killed under his leadership.

IPOB also raised several questions regarding Gowon’s role in the events leading up to the war, particularly his alleged failure to honor the Aburi Accord reached with Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu. The group questioned Gowon’s motives during the pre-war negotiations and accused him of submitting Nigeria’s sovereignty to foreign influence.

The group criticized Gowon’s characterization of the January 1966 coup as an “Igbo plot,” arguing that historical evidence contradicts this view. They also blamed him for dismantling the regional structure of government in favor of a centralized system, which they say was designed to exploit the natural resources of the Biafran region.

IPOB further accused Gowon of using periodic public speeches to provoke rather than heal, stating that his refusal to acknowledge the alleged genocide demonstrates a lack of remorse. The group maintained that Nigeria remains a colonial construct that suppresses its diverse ethnic nationalities under the guise of unity.

Reaffirming its commitment to the Biafran cause, IPOB called on all Biafrans at home and abroad to reject what it termed Gowon’s “revisionist narrative.” The group insisted that Nigeria’s unity is a myth sustained by coercion and exploitation, and that the time for truth, justice, and self-determination is now.

“I pity Tinubu. 22 Govs Endorsed Jonathan Yet Lose Re-election” – Ali Ndume

The senator for Borno South, Ali Ndume, has reminded President Bola Tinubu that former President Goodluck Jonathan lost his bid for reelection to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 despite receiving the support of 22 governors from his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ndume issued the reminder on Sunday, while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.

The lawmaker insisted that he is not part of those who have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office.

Last month, 22 governors elected on the platform of the APC, unanimously adopted Tinubu as their candidate for the 2027 election.

Ndume claimed to have stormed out of the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, after the governors endorsed the president for re-election.

“I was there but that was not why I was there. I was there for a summit and when I realised that it was not a summit and voice vote was put about the endorsement of Mr President, I just left, and that does not mean I am not an APC member.

“The majority had its way but few of us felt that was not right,” Ndume said.

He added: “It happened before, not once, not twice. It happened during Jonathan. That does not mean anything.

“Politicians are decamping but the people who are the voters are not decamping.

“Jonathan had 22 governors then endorsing him like was done now. And what happened? Jonathan lost woefully. A lot of money was spent. Even the election was shifted but we are not learning our lessons. I pity Mr President.”