No Rift With Shettima — Tinubu to Decide 2027 Ticket After Convention, Says Onanuga

President Bola Tinubu will select his running mate for the 2027 election only after the All Progressives Congress (APC) holds its next national convention, according to Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

Onanuga disclosed during an interview with Daily Trust on Thursday, addressing growing speculations about the political future of Vice-President Kashim Shettima and reports of tension within the presidency.

His comments follow recent controversy at the APC stakeholders’ summit in Gombe, where Tinubu was endorsed for a second term but Shettima was conspicuously omitted. The incident led to outrage and disruption by delegates.

Responding to the debate, Onanuga dismissed the uproar as misplaced. “That’s what happened under Buhari, he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once,” he said.

“Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate.”

Onanuga downplayed any perceived rift between Tinubu and Shettima, calling such talk unfounded. “I’m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship. All the speculation is just beer parlour gossip,” he said.

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He also rebuffed suggestions that Tinubu has a habit of replacing deputies, citing his record as governor of Lagos. “That’s just speculation. Yes, when he was governor, there were issues. In his first term, he and his deputy, Kofo, didn’t get along, and she had to leave,” Onanuga said.

“So, it’s wrong to say he has a pattern of discarding deputies. There were specific political circumstances each time.”