Mustapha Salihu, the National Vice Chairman (Northeast) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has cleared the air on why Vice President Kashim Shettima’s name was missing during his public endorsement of President Bola Tinubu at the party’s North-East zonal summit held in Gombe State.
Speaking on Channels Television’s program Politics Today on Monday, Salihu said his decision was not meant to disrespect or exclude Shettima, but rather to follow the guidelines of the APC and the Nigerian constitution regarding endorsements during election campaigns.
“In my full speech—the last paragraph before the endorsement—I eulogised Kashim Shettima, recognising him as our son and expressing that we stand by him as people of the North-East,” he said during the interview.
Salihu noted that his speech also gave recognition to other key figures from the region.
“I also appreciated the national security adviser as our son, whom we are proud of, and acknowledged all the ministers and parastatals given to Northeast indigenes, thanking Asiwaju [Tinubu] for that, before calling for the endorsement of him as the sole presidential candidate,” he added.
He further explained that the APC’s structure only allows for a single endorsement at the primary level—referring to the presidential candidate, not the running mate.
“In party politics, we have only one ticket at the primary stage—for the executive chairman, local government chairman, governors, and president. There is no provision in our constitution that allows for the endorsement of a joint ticket at that level,” he noted.
Salihu said that the selection of a running mate is handled only after a presidential candidate has been chosen, and it is solely the right of that candidate to pick a vice president.
“That choice remains the constitutional prerogative of the presidential candidate, even though consultations may occur,” he said.
The APC chieftain insisted that there was no division between him and Shettima, and that the vice president remained an important figure in the North-East and the party. He said the summit was a platform to show support for President Tinubu’s leadership and to thank him for giving political appointments to people from the region.
