The banner was already hanging when Abdulkarim Lawan entered the hall in Maiduguri for the North-East Zonal Public Hearing of the APC. It stretched boldly behind the podium, displaying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governors from the zone, and other senior party figures. But one face was missing — Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Lawan, Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, noticed immediately. When he rose to speak, he set aside the constitutional amendment agenda and questioned why Shettima’s image was excluded. The hall erupted in applause, and what might have seemed like a design oversight quickly took on political meaning.
This was not the first time Shettima’s image had been absent at a party function in the region. A similar incident in Gombe had previously caused disruption. But this time, it happened in Maiduguri — Shettima’s home base — at a time when quiet calculations for 2027 are already shaping conversations within the ruling party.
Within APC circles, speculation has grown that President Tinubu may consider altering the presidential ticket ahead of the next election, amid renewed debates over the Muslim–Muslim pairing and concerns about religious balance. The omission of Shettima’s image appeared to give visible form to what had previously been whispered.
Abayomi Nurain Mumuni, an APC chieftain who served on the Tinubu/Shettima campaign intelligence team in 2023, warned that replacing Shettima on religious grounds could prove politically risky. He argued that the North currently lacks a Christian candidate with Shettima’s structure, grassroots appeal, and national reach.
For many in the North-East, the idea of dropping Shettima is seen as betrayal rather than strategy. The APC Youth Parliament echoed this sentiment, cautioning that such a move could significantly weaken Tinubu’s support in the region and empower the opposition ahead of 2027.
Amid rumours that the North-Central is lobbying for the vice-presidential slot, the North-Central APC Forum publicly denied any such ambition, stating instead that its focus is on the presidency in 2031. The forum warned that removing Shettima could shrink the party’s electoral strength.
Political observers have weighed in. Reuben Abati described the situation as a potentially disruptive speculation capable of affecting the party’s fortunes. Others, including political commentators, offered contrasting views, some suggesting that internal party issues — beyond religious considerations — may be driving the speculation.
Vice President Shettima has remained silent on both the banner incident and the growing rumours. In Nigerian politics, such silence often carries its own message, leaving party loyalists and observers to read between the lines as 2027 approaches.
What began as a missing photograph in Maiduguri has evolved into a wider conversation about loyalty, power, and political calculation within the APC. The party now faces a delicate decision on whether changing a familiar political equation will strengthen its future or destabilise it.
