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A major row broke out at an APC summit in Gombe after North-East Vice-Chairman Mustapha Salihu endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term without mentioning Vice-President Kashim Shettima. Salihu later defended the move, saying party rules allow endorsement only for the presidential candidate, not their running mate.
  • Salihu endorsed Tinubu at the APC summit but omitted Shettima
  • Outrage erupted, delegates shouted, and disrupted the meeting
  • Salihu had to be escorted out by security
  • He later said party rules allow primaries only for one candidate, the President
  • Deputy Chairman Ali Bukar later endorsed both Tinubu and Shettima
The incident exposes the fragile political alliances within the ruling party ahead of 2027. Salihu’s remarks reflect a constitutional technicality, but the omission was seen as a slight to Shettima, especially in his home region. While the deputy chairman later smoothed things over with a joint endorsement, cracks in unity remain visible.