The Digest:
Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, has publicly protested the exclusion of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s picture from a banner displayed at an All Progressives Congress (APC) event in Maiduguri. The banner featured President Bola Tinubu, five APC governors from the North-East, and the party’s National Legal Adviser, but omitted Shettima. Lawan called the omission unfair, noting it occurred in the Vice President's hometown and recalled a similar incident that disrupted a party meeting in Gombe in 2025.
Key Points:
- The protest highlights sensitive regional politics and perceived slights within the ruling party’s North-East bloc.
- It underscores the importance of symbolic recognition in maintaining party unity and hierarchy ahead of elections.
- The incident risks fueling internal divisions and distracting from the official agenda of the party’s constitutional review.
- It reflects ongoing tensions about protocol and visibility among top-tier political figures within the APC.
- The public reaction from the crowd suggests the issue resonates with local party members and stakeholders.
The omission is likely to prompt internal review by party organizers to prevent recurrence and manage perceptions of respect and inclusion.
Sources: Daily Trust
