As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, political permutations within the All Progressives Congress are intensifying, with a prominent analyst suggesting that President Bola Tinubu might be considering a Christian Vice President from the North Central geopolitical zone.
The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr. Sam Amadi, offered this insight during an interview on Arise TV on Saturday, highlighting the evolving political landscape and strategic considerations for the ruling party.
Amadi’s analysis comes amidst recent speculation regarding the relationship between President Tinubu and his current Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
The omission of Shettima’s name during an endorsement at a recent APC zonal meeting in Gombe stirred controversy and sparked public debate about his position on the 2027 ticket. Amadi noted that this incident reflected a “certain language control arising from the reality of politics.”
Drawing parallels to Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos State Governor, where he had a history of changing deputies, Amadi underscored a pattern in Tinubu’s working relationships. He posited that the current situation with Shettima could be influenced by a similar dynamic, albeit on a national scale.
According to Amadi, the strategic shift towards a North Central Vice President would be a calculated move to broaden the APC’s appeal and address the political fallout from the 2023 Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“I think any Tinubu strategist would fancy that an option and say, look what do we lose if we have a Muslim southern and Tinubu and a Christian North Central… which is a zone that has unfortunately not had anybody as vice president or president since 1999,” Amadi stated.
This move, he argued, could help in securing more votes from the middle belt region, a zone Tinubu won in 2023 but could consolidate further.
Amadi cautioned, however, that while a North Central VP might enhance the ticket’s inclusivity, it could also lead to “collateral damage” for the President if Shettima is dropped.
He suggested that Shettima’s camp might have “played the game badly” by publicly reacting to the perceived slight, stating that “no president would like to be with a vice president where some political forces are saying you just have to be on this ticket.”
The analyst also highlighted the changing nature of Nigerian voters, particularly the younger demographic, who he believes are less swayed by ethnic and religious considerations and more by issues of transparency and good governance.
This emerging voter behaviour, he suggested, could alter traditional political calculations and impact how the APC’s strategies play out in 2027.
The debate underscores the complex political manoeuvring expected ahead of the next presidential election, with the APC aiming to consolidate its power while navigating internal dynamics and a changing electorate.
