Tension in APC as Zulum leads protest over Shettima’s exclusion in Tinubu’s 2027 endorsement

Tension is mounting within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following a dramatic protest led by Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, after Vice President Kashim Shettima was excluded from a 2027 presidential endorsement at a North-East stakeholders’ meeting held in Gombe on Sunday.

The crisis erupted when APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and the party’s National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu, openly declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid without making any reference to Vice President Shettima, who hails from the North-East region.

The development sparked outrage among party delegates, forcing Ganduje and Salihu to be escorted out of the venue under tight security amid protests from stakeholders.

The meeting ended in disarray, with participants visibly angered by what many interpreted as a deliberate snub of the Vice President.

Governor Zulum, a political ally of Shettima and a key figure in the region, reportedly led the walkout in protest of the decision, signaling a deepening rift within the party’s ranks.

Reacting to the fallout, public affairs analyst Abdul-Aziz Na’ibi Abubakar described the situation as a possible tipping point for the APC. “The beginning of the APC’s downfall has just begun as Governor Zulum led a protest against the APC North-East meeting for failing to endorse Kashim Shettima ahead of 2027,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The development comes weeks after Ganduje, during the APC National Policy Summit in Abuja, publicly endorsed President Tinubu as the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election—a move that has stirred discontent in several quarters.

There is growing unease in the North-East, particularly in Borno State, over the perceived marginalization of Shettima in the unfolding succession narrative. The Vice President is widely regarded as a political heavyweight in the region and a major contributor to the APC’s electoral success.

President Tinubu had, during his Democracy Day speech at the National Assembly last Thursday, taken a jab at the opposition for lacking unity, even as tensions now threaten to fracture his own party.