Anger and confusion broke out in Maiduguri on Monday after the All Progressives Congress (APC) excluded the photograph of Vice-President Kashim Shettima from a banner displayed at the North-East Zonal Public Hearing on the amendment of the party’s constitution.
The omission immediately drew sharp reactions from party stakeholders and delegates, with many describing it as a disrespectful slight against the Vice-President, who is both Nigeria’s number two citizen and a leading APC figure from the North-East.
The banner, prepared for the event, carried the images of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the five APC governors from the region and the party’s National Legal Adviser. However, Shettima’s picture was noticeably absent, a development that quickly stirred murmurs of discontent within the hall.
Reacting openly, Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, condemned the exclusion, warning that such actions could sow unnecessary division within the party. He recalled a similar incident in Gombe State last year where the Vice-President’s image was also omitted, leading to chaos and the abrupt suspension of the meeting.
“Why would the Vice-President’s picture not be included on the banner? This same issue caused a fracas in Gombe, and now it is happening again here in Borno. I do not know the intention of the organisers, but this is not right,” Lawan said.
He further questioned the rationale behind excluding a sitting Vice-President who hails from Borno State and represents the North-East at the highest level of government.
Lawan’s remarks were greeted with loud applause from delegates, reflecting the widespread dissatisfaction among party members over the omission, as tensions briefly flared at the high-profile APC gathering.
