Abduljabbar Rufai, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) youth leader aspirant, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against making what he described as a politically costly mistake ahead of the 2027 elections. Speaking during an interview on Arise Television from 9:17 , Rufai said Tinubu’s alleged plan to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima from the APC ticket would backfire and result in a total loss of the northeast region.
Rufai emphasized that while Tinubu has shown strong political instincts in the past, any decision to tamper with the delicate regional balance that secured him victory in 2023 would be met with fierce electoral consequences. He noted that regional representation, especially in the north, remains a highly sensitive issue. Shettima, who hails from Borno State, played a critical role in maintaining the party’s foothold in the northeast. According to Rufai, removing him from the ticket would not only insult the region’s political base but also open the door for PDP and other opposition forces to reclaim lost ground.
According to him, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a very strategic politician despite the accusations against him right now that there’s a chance he might change or replace his vice presidential candidate, which is going to be a landmine. It is going to be a landmine that we want him to step on. If he steps on that landmine and replaces Vice President Kashim Shettima on his ticket, then that means he’s not going to see a single state in the northeast. If you can remember, the APC won only one state in the northeast, which is Borno, where the vice president is from. So him replacing him is like giving up the whole Northeast.”
