By Samuel Adeola
President Bola Tinubu will decide who his running mate will be for the 2027 presidential election only after the All Progressives Congress holds its national convention, according to his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust on Thursday, Onanuga addressed the growing speculation following recent events at the APC stakeholders’ summit in Gombe, where several speakers endorsed Tinubu for a second term but conspicuously omitted Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The omission sparked outrage among some delegates and led to disruptions during the event.
Onanuga dismissed the controversy as premature and unnecessary, saying the choice of a running mate is not a matter for public debate until the party convention takes place.
“In a presidential system, the candidate comes first. After nomination, the candidate selects a running mate. That’s what Buhari did, and it’s the same process Tinubu will follow. Once INEC releases the timetable and there is a convention, if Tinubu is nominated again, he will then choose his running mate,” he said.
He also rejected claims of a rift between the president and his vice president, describing their working relationship as cordial and effective.
“I’m not aware of any problems between Tinubu and Shettima. From all indications, they work excellently together. All these rumours are just beer parlour gossip.
“Some people have even gone as far as claiming that Seyi Tinubu is the real vice president—utter nonsense,” Onanuga added.
Addressing suggestions that Tinubu’s history of replacing his deputies as Lagos State governor could be a sign of things to come, Onanuga said those events were circumstantial and should not be used to draw conclusions.
“As governor, yes, there were changes. Kofo Bucknor-Akerele left during the first term, and Femi Pedro came in. Later, Pedro left because he wanted to contest for governor. But those were different political situations. It’s not fair to suggest Tinubu has a habit of discarding deputies,” he stated.
Onanuga emphasized that the focus should remain on governance and national development, not on 2027 succession politics.
