Tinubu to Choose 2027 Running Mate After APC Nomination – Bayo Onanuga

Amid growing speculation over the status of Vice President Kashim Shettima in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s potential 2027 re-election bid, the presidency has clarified that no decision on a running mate will be made until the APC convention in 2026.

Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, made the clarification in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, dismissing reports of internal strife and speculation over a possible replacement of Shettima.

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

Onanuga dismissed talks of friction between the president and vice president, calling them “beer parlour gossip.”

“I’m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship,” he said.

He also rubbished conspiracy theories suggesting that Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, is playing an outsized role akin to a vice president, branding such talk “absolute nonsense.”

Responding to concerns about a possible repeat of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that stirred controversy during the 2023 elections, Onanuga said that “the issue has already been settled.”

“Christians are living their lives. The president even attended the Pope’s inauguration in Rome,” he noted, suggesting that religious fears had largely been pacified. 

Addressing Tinubu’s record of changing deputies during his time as Lagos State Governor, Onanuga emphasized that the situations were due to specific political circumstances and should not be seen as a pattern.

“Yes, when he was governor, there were issues. But those situations were unique. This is not a recurring behavior,” he said.

Though INEC has not declared the 2027 campaign season open, Onanuga said that the wave of early endorsements for Tinubu is a reaction to the opposition’s premature attacks.

“We had to show that we’re not asleep but ready to square up. The ruling party can’t just fold its arms,” he said.