The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu has not selected a running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu would make the decision only after formally accepting the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination at the party’s convention in 2026.
Onanuga dismissed media reports suggesting a rift between Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as “baseless.”
“When I read the report, I dismissed it as a non-issue. In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate. That’s what happened under Buhari,” Onanuga explained in an interview with Daily Trust.
He added that Tinubu’s running mate will only be announced after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) releases the official timetable for the 2027 elections and the APC convention is held.
This clarification comes amid public speculation over Shettima’s political future following his absence from recent endorsements for Tinubu’s second-term bid.
