By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Tinubu has retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) beat the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline by submitting the names of its presidential ticket to the electoral body.
The development followed the formal receipt of the duly completed INEC presidential nomination forms of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima by the National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, during a ceremony in Abuja on Friday.
The submission effectively ended months of speculation over President Tinubu’s choice of a running mate for the next presidential election, confirming that the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, which won the 2023 election, will once again fly the APC flag in 2027.
INEC had fixed Saturday, July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the names of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates to its nomination portal.
Party officials completed the upload of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket on Friday night, ahead of the deadline, formally making them the APC’s candidates for the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during the presentation of the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, expressed confidence in the party’s electoral prospects, insisting that the ruling party was not disturbed by opposition criticism or propaganda.
According to him, President Tinubu is going into the 2027 race with a solid political base of more than 12 million registered APC members across the country.
He said the APC’s nationwide structure and expanding membership gave the party a significant advantage ahead of the general election, adding that no amount of opposition attacks would distract it from seeking a renewed mandate for the President.
Yilwatda maintained that the ruling party remained united and focused on consolidating the achievements of the Tinubu administration while preparing for another electoral victory.
The submission of the nomination forms marks the completion of a key phase of the electoral process for the APC and clears the way for the party to intensify political consultations and campaign preparations ahead of the 2027 general election.
