The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu has not yet selected a running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
According to Presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu will only choose a running mate if he is officially nominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during its convention slated for 2026.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust on Thursday, Onanuga dismissed speculations of a rift between Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, following Shettima’s exclusion from recent endorsement statements.
“When I saw the reports, I dismissed them as a non-issue,” Onanuga said. “In a presidential system, the candidate is nominated first before selecting a running mate. That’s how it worked with Buhari—he was chosen first, and then a running mate was picked. You don’t do both at once.”
He explained that the APC will follow the same process in 2026 once the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) releases the election timetable. If Tinubu is renominated, he will then announce his choice of running mate.
Onanuga insisted there is no tension between the President and Vice President, describing any talk of a fallout as unfounded.