President Bola Tinubu had no hurdle picking the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the 2027 presidential election. Unlike in 2022, when he faced fierce but ultimately weak opposition within the party, this time it is a mere coronation.
Now that the ticket is in his hand, the next question is who will become his running mate: Will he keep his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, or look for someone else?
There were pockets of opposition in 2022 when Tinubu picked Shettima as his running mate. The resistance was primarily based on the country’s fragile religious composition. Tinubu is a Muslim and so is Shettima, and religious balancing was placed on the front burner, especially amid allegations of a plot to Islamize the country.
However, as the 2027 polls draw nearer and Tinubu has secured the party’s ticket, there are indications he will run the race with Shettima. Some political analysts have described Shettima as the most loyal deputy in nearly three decades of democratic government in Nigeria.
The vice president, the analysts say, understands and interprets the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration without animosity or confrontation. He appears to have studied his boss to know the best way to follow him.
Another factor working in Shettima’s favour is loyalty. In politics, loyalty must be total; any suspicious move leads to friction. Shettima appears to have avoided missteps and thus earned Tinubu’s confidence.
