Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Friday said only a fool hell-bent on dying will dare contest against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

The vice-president made this statement on Friday at the 15th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.

“Only a fool hell-bent on a suicidal path or an outright imposter can dare to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election. But we are in a democracy, and people are free to contest elections,” Mr Shettima. “Elections are not won by noise or nostalgia. Elections are not conducted, to follow the words of Uba Sani, elections are not conducted on Facebook, on Twitter. They are won by coalitions, credibility, and conviction.”

The vice-president added, “With the experience of our president is our shield, and the lessons of the past are our guide. I believe that 2027 is not a gamble; it is a responsibility, and by the grace of God, we shall have a renewable blessing.”

During the party’s meeting on Friday, Mr Shettima, however, warned the APC against complacency.

“Your excellencies, Rome was not destroyed by outside invaders. Rome was destroyed by the complacency of the Romans. I wish to implore all of us to know that to succeed is much easier than to maintain that success,” stated the vice-president.

He restated the need for the APC to sustain its growing dominance nationwide.

The vice-president highlighted the APC’s strength across the six geopolitical zones, drawing attention to the expanding influence in states controlled by new entrants and defectors.