Professor Haruna Yerima, a prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, has cautioned the party against altering the Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket for the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, Yerima warned that attempts to change the current ticket could undermine the party’s prospects in the next election.
“The same elements who opposed the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in 2023 are now pushing for a change, but tampering with the ticket would be politically disastrous for the APC in 2027,” he said. He described proposals to impose a Christian candidate from the North-Central or North-West as both short-sighted and politically naive, noting that these regions have already been adequately represented in federal appointments.
Yerima highlighted the current federal positions held by individuals from the North-Central and North-West, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Minister of Defence, APC National Chairman, INEC Chairman, NNPCL Group CEO, and the Chief of Army Staff. He also dismissed claims that international figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, influence Nigeria’s vice-presidential selections, calling such narratives the work of “political jobbers and fifth columnists.”
Praising Vice President Kashim Shettima, Yerima described him as loyal, competent, and effective, with a strong political record. His comments follow concerns raised by Borno State House of Assembly Speaker Abdulkarim Lawan over Shettima’s exclusion from party banners during a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri, amid speculation about potential replacements for the vice-presidential slot.
