Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that internal divisions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) pose a greater threat to its re-election bid in 2027 than opposition figures Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
Shettima spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the inauguration of the campaign structure and unveiling of the national headquarters of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a northern coalition supporting the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and the Vice President.
The Vice President urged APC members to resolve their differences and work together, stressing that disunity within the ruling party could undermine its electoral prospects.
He said the party should not focus exclusively on defeating opposition candidates while allowing internal disagreements to weaken its structures.
Shettima also cautioned northern political leaders against supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition while working against APC governors seeking re-election, insisting that the party must pursue a coordinated strategy across all levels of government.
“Let’s rally round our governors. Let’s rally round our members of the National Assembly. Let’s rally round President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he urged party members.
He expressed confidence in the APC’s nationwide political machinery, citing its claimed 361,045 officials at ward and local government levels against 176,845 polling units across the country.
The Vice President also challenged political appointees to demonstrate their electoral value by delivering results in their respective polling units, wards and local government areas.
On the North’s political alignment, Shettima claimed that 18 of the region’s 19 states were controlled by the APC and maintained that the region had shown strong support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
He, however, acknowledged the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, saying households struggling to meet their basic needs remained a reminder of the work still required from the administration.
Defending the government’s economic record, Shettima said Tinubu inherited an economy facing severe pressure, including low foreign reserves and substantial Ways and Means obligations. He also claimed that the country’s foreign reserves had risen to about $58.9 billion.
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, also called for Tinubu’s re-election, citing federal road projects in the North, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and Kano-Maiduguri highways.
Former Jigawa State Governor and A4A Director-General, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, said the coalition would pursue a peaceful, disciplined and issue-based campaign across markets, farms, campuses and religious centres.
