By Patrick Idowu
A meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC), stakeholders in the North-East ended in disarray on Sunday following the controversial exclusion of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s name during endorsements for a second term for President Bola Tinubu.
Held in Gombe State, the high-level gathering was attended by prominent APC figures from the region, including governors, ministers, lawmakers, and party executives.
National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, also led a delegation of key personalities to the event.
Trouble began when Comrade Mustapha Salihu, APC’s National Vice Chairman for the North-East, publicly endorsed President Tinubu as the party’s unopposed candidate for the 2027 presidential election, but made no mention of Vice President Shettima, who hails from Borno State in the same region.
Salihu’s omission sparked immediate outrage among the delegates, with many hurling insults and threatening physical assault.
Security operatives quickly intervened and escorted him out of the venue.
In an attempt to calm the rising tension, Deputy National Chairman (North), Bukar Dalori, stepped in and explicitly endorsed both Tinubu and Shettima for a second term.
Despite this, tensions flared again when APC National Chairman Ganduje delivered his address.
His 10-minute speech also endorsed Tinubu but made no reference to Vice President Shettima.
This further fueled suspicions of internal division, prompting another wave of protest among party faithful.
Ganduje, like Salihu, had to be escorted out of the meeting by security personnel as disorder intensified.
The event, initially intended to foster regional unity and chart the party’s political path ahead of 2027, ended abruptly amidst the uproar.
The conspicuous omission of Shettima’s name by two top party figures has raised fresh concerns about emerging rifts within the APC, particularly in the North-East, where the Vice President commands significant political influence.
