Tinubu, Shettima beat INEC deadline as APC files 2027 tickets

President Bola Tinubu has confirmed Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election, submitting both their nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission just hours before Saturday’s deadline.

The All Progressives Congress presented the completed forms in Abuja on Friday, ending months of speculation over Tinubu’s choice of running mate. Party officials uploaded both names to the INEC portal the same night, beating the July 11 cutoff for parties to submit candidate details.

APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda received the forms from Ibrahim Masari, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters. Governors, National Assembly members, and other party leaders attended the ceremony, including Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, who chairs the Progressives Governors’ Forum.

Yilwatda dismissed opposition attacks on the party, insisting Tinubu enters the race backed by more than 12 million APC members who voted for him during the primaries. He said the number would grow further, pointing to over 1.5 million students on the federal student loan scheme, new road projects across all six geopolitical zones, and fertiliser support reaching farmers in Borno and Niger states.

He urged governors and party supporters to publicise the administration’s record, saying his own community had verified government project claims during a recent visit and found them credible.

Yilwatda predicted the APC would record its highest vote count ever across the country’s regions in 2027. “We are not afraid, we are not in doubt of our success, there is no shaking at all in any way, that come 2027 our victory as a party is assured and assured,” he said.