Why I endorsed Tinubu, omitted Shettima – APC Vice Chair

The National Vice Chairman (North-East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has responded to widespread criticism following his endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027 without mentioning Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Salihu made the controversial move during the recent APC North-East Stakeholders’ Summit held in Gombe State, which sparked outrage, particularly among supporters of the Vice President, who hails from the region.

Breaking his silence during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday night, Salihu claimed his remarks had been grossly misrepresented, especially by some media outlets. He explained that the intention behind the motion was not to sideline anyone but to galvanize support for the continuity of APC’s leadership at the federal level.

“I think this trouble is largely caused by the constant misinterpretation and ill-reporting by the media,” he said. “You should have played my speech fully or even read the last paragraph before the endorsement.”

According to Salihu, his endorsement of President Tinubu was preceded by commendations of the Vice President and other key appointments allocated to the North-East zone.

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“The last paragraph of my speech before the endorsement was eulogising the Vice President, even recognising him as our son, whom we are very proud of. We stand by him. I even mentioned all the ministers and other juicy appointments given to North-East indigenes, and thanked Asiwaju for that before calling for his endorsement as the sole candidate of the APC,” he explained.

Salihu, who narrowly escaped a violent mob attack during the summit, stressed that the APC’s internal nomination process allows only one presidential candidate to emerge during the primaries and the candidate would later has the constitutional right to select a running mate.

“There is no such thing as a joint ticket during party primaries,” he stated. “Only the presidential candidate emerges, and it is entirely his prerogative to choose a running mate after he becomes the flagbearer.”

While acknowledging that party leaders and stakeholders are often consulted, Salihu was firm in his position that the final decision on a running mate remains solely with the presidential candidate.

“Even though the party and stakeholders may be consulted, constitutionally, it is solely the candidate’s right,” he said.

Addressing the chaos in Gombe, Salihu denied any intentional omission of VP Shettima from his speech and dismissed allegations of an internal rift between President Tinubu and the Vice President.

“Some people thrive on creating tension. We call them ‘crisis entrepreneurs,’ they manipulate situations like this to create confusion and benefit from it,” he said.

He urged party members and the public not to be swayed by what he described as “conspiracy theories” and politically motivated narratives spreading online.

“Party business isn’t conducted on the platforms of social media or pages of newspapers. We operate through the party office. These rumours are simply not reflective of the reality within the party,” Salihu stated.

Why I endorsed Tinubu, omitted Shettima – APC Vice Chair

Ganduje, APC North-East endorsement of Tinubu without Shettima sparks outrage

There was chaos at the meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in the North- East, on Sunday, after Comrade Mustapha Salihu, National Vice Chairman of the ruling in the North-East, failed to mention the name of Vice-President Kashim Shettima while endorsing President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

The meeting, which was held in Gombe State, was attended by virtually all ministers, lawmakers, and governors of the party from the region.

Abdullahi Ganduje, National Chairman of the APC, also led some key personalities to the event.

When it was the turn of Salihu to speak, he endorsed Tinubu to emerge as an unopposed candidate of the APC but was silent about Shettima.

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The moment he finished his speech, delegates at the forum started to hurl insults at him, with some threatening to attack him physically, but he had to be escorted out of the meeting by security operatives.

To calm the situation, the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Bukar Dalori, endorsed both Tinubu and Shettima for a second term.

Kashim Shettima is from Borno, one of the states in the North-East region.

The meeting ended abruptly after the National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, also endorsed Tinubu alone, without Shettima.

Our correspondent reports that Ganduje didn’t also mention Shettima’s name throughout his speech, which lasted about 10 minutes.

He had to be also escorted out of the venue by security operatives.

Ganduje, APC North-East endorsement of Tinubu without Shettima sparks outrage

APC chieftain begs Tinubu to intervene in Osun LG fresh crisis

Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the brewing crisis in the state over the Court of Appeal ruling on the conduct of the council election.

Oyintiloye, who made the plea in a chat with newsmen on Sunday in Osogbo, said that the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, on Friday had started generating tension in the state.

The APC chieftain said although the court struck out a request by APC to relist its appeal against the 2022 Federal High Court ruling nullifying the local government elections, the court did not nullify the judgment of Feb. 10, which reinstated the chairmen and councillors.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, said that the misinterpretation given of the ruling by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the state government may result in a crisis in all the 30 local government areas if not quickly checked.

He said that the interpretation given to the judgment by the ruling PDP government that it is now in control of the local government areas and the planned invasion of the council secretariats on Monday may degenerate into a crisis.

The APC chieftain said, “The crisis is obvious because the elected APC chairmen and councillors would resist any unlawful invasion of the council secretariats, which they are currently occupying.”

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Oyintiloye said that the only way the crisis could be averted is for Tinubu to intervene by ordering the deployment of more security agencies to the state.

He said that the loss of lives during the similar crisis on Feb. 17 was still fresh in the minds of the residents, adding that such recurrence should be prevented.

“We don’t want any bloodshed in the state again, and that is why I am calling on the President to intervene swiftly to avoid loss of lives.

“The open declaration by PDP members to invade the council secretariats in the state on Monday can lead to mayhem, and that is not what we need at the moment.

“The state government and the PDP must be cautioned against causing a crisis in the state due to wrong interpretation of the court ruling.

“The verdict of the court on an attempt by the APC to relist the case is very clear, but some people are just hell-bent on causing chaos through misinterpretation of the court ruling.

“We appeal to Mr President to intervene and protect the lives and property of residents in Osun.

“Osun government is already before the Supreme Court to challenge its inability to access local government allocation.

“It is therefore expected of the government to wait for the apex court to take final decision on it,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, on Friday dismissed an application by the APC seeking to relist an earlier appeal that was struck out on Jan. 13 for lack of diligent prosecution.

While the state government said that the Court of Appeal ruling affirmed the Federal High Court judgment that sacked the council chairmen and councillors elected in 2022, APC maintained that the ruling did not nullify the election.

The case originated from a suit filed by the All Peoples Party(APP) against the State Independent Electoral Commission(OSSIEC) at the Federal High Court, challenging the legality of the Oct. 15, 2022, LG Election, which featured only APC candidates.

The APC, which later joined the matter at the Federal High Court, had appealed the judgment after the lower court nullified the election.

However, the appeal was struck out on Jan. 13 due to a lack of diligent prosecution by the APC.

APC’s attempt to have the case relisted was also dismissed by the Court of Appeal on Friday.

APC chieftain begs Tinubu to intervene in Osun LG fresh crisis