A summit organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday for party stakeholders from Nigeria’s North-East geopolitical zone ended on a tense note in Gombe State.
Delegates from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe states were in attendance, as key highlights included speeches by Governors Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Babagana Zulum (Borno), and Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), who all praised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, particularly commending him for supporting a northerner’s eight-year presidency.
The three governors collectively endorsed Tinubu for a second term, urging the north to return the favour in 2027.
However, tensions escalated shortly after APC North-East Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, ended his speech by naming Tinubu as the sole candidate for the next election, without mentioning Vice President Kashim Shettima.
This apparent omission triggered protests from some members, who insisted that the vice president be included in the endorsement.
An attempt by Zulum to calm the situation did little to ease the rising tempers. The commotion intensified until security operatives intervened to restore order.
The party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, later addressed the crowd, separately praising both Tinubu and Shettima, which helped ease the tension.
On May 22, 2025, 22 APC governors unanimously adopted Tinubu as the APC candidate for the 2027 election. The governors also did not mention the vice president during the endorsement.
But Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, distanced himself from the endorsement of Tinubu for a second term in office.
He said he pitied Tinubu. According to him, former President Goodluck Jonathan secured the endorsement of 22 governors of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2015 poll, yet he lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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