The Special Adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has said that President Bola Tinubu will choose his 2027 running mate after the next convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Onanuga revealed this in an interview with Daily Trust, following the speculation about Tinubu’s alleged plan to drop Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The assumption was recently fuelled by certain speakers at the APC stakeholders gathering in Gombe, who endorsed President Tinubu for a second term without mentioning Shettima.
The omission disrupted the gathering, with some delegates questioning why the vice president’s name was not mentioned during the endorsement.
When questioned why the presidency had not responded to the charge, Onanuga dismissed it as a “non-issue”, claiming that under a presidential system, the presidential candidate is nominated before a running mate is chosen.
Onanuga said, “That’s what happened under Buhari; he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once. Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate.”
Onanuga also dismissed the speculation of a rift between Tinubu and Shettima as ‘a beer parlour gist’, saying he is not aware of it.
“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. People even say ridiculous things like Seyi Tinubu is the vice president. Absolute nonsense,” he said.
