APC Set to Unveil VP Shettima as Tinubu’s 2027 Running Mate

The All Progressives Congress is set to officially unveil Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election, ending months of speculation about the party’s ticket ahead of the polls.

Party sources say the announcement is expected to be finalised as the APC moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s submission deadline, with the party reportedly working to upload the Tinubu-Shettima ticket to INEC’s portal this week.

The confirmation of Shettima’s retention on the ticket comes despite periodic speculation in political circles about potential changes to the APC’s 2027 lineup, and is expected to reinforce the party’s messaging around continuity of the current administration’s economic and security policies.

Twenty-one APC governors have already publicly declared their backing for Tinubu’s re-election bid, according to party officials, signalling a broadly unified front within the ruling party as it heads into what is expected to be a competitive election cycle.

The move comes as opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and elements of the Peoples Democratic Party, continue working through their own candidate selection processes ahead of the 2027 polls, with several coalition talks still ongoing among opposition figures.

Political analysts say the early confirmation of the APC ticket gives the ruling party a head start in campaign organisation and fundraising, though they caution that the true test will come once opposition coalitions finalise their own candidates.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has set clear deadlines for party primaries and candidate submissions, and all major parties are expected to finalise their tickets in the coming months as the 2027 electoral calendar tightens.