An aide to the former president Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, has berated All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and other party stakeholders over their refusal to endorse Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

In a tweet on Sunday, Mr Ahmad said those endorsing Mr Tinubu without endorsing Mr Shettima did not act in the best interest of the party.

“Those deliberately mentioning President Tinubu’s name in the context of 2027 while conveniently ignoring his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, are not acting in the best interest of our great party, the APC,” said the presidential aide. “In politics, both what is said and what is left unsaid can be interpreted in many different ways. What we know is it is a BAT/KSM joint ticket.”

Earlier on Sunday, the APC meeting in the North-East organised to endorse Mr Tinubu for a second term turned violent after Mr Ganduje and the party leader in the region, Mustapha Salihu, failed to mention the vice president’s name in their endorsement speeches.

Their refusal to mention Mr Shettima’s name incensed delegates and party members in attendance, leading to disruption of the event.

It took the intervention of the deputy national vice chairman (North-East), Bukar Dalori, who mounted the podium after Mr Salihu’s speech, to douse the tension. 

Several members of the opposition, including former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, recently announced their defections to the ruling APC, highlighting their support for Mr Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

All the APC governors also endorsed the president for a second term, emphasising their alignment with his Renewed Hope Agenda.