President Bola Tinubu will name his running mate for the 2027 presidential election after the ruling party holds its convention in 2026.
This was made known by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, who addressed the silence surrounding Vice President Kashim Shettima’s exclusion from recent endorsements for Tinubu.
Onanuga explained that in Nigeria’s presidential system, a candidate must first emerge before naming a running mate, just as it happened during former President Buhari’s tenure.
He stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will release its timetable, and only after the convention will Tinubu make his choice for vice president.
“When I read the report, I dismissed it as a non-issue. In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate. That’s what happened under Buhari—he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once.
“Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate,” he said.
Onanuga also dismissed talks about Shettima being dropped, noting that speculations were fueled by past political situations during Tinubu’s time as Lagos State governor.
He pointed out that changes in deputies back then were due to individual political ambitions or disagreements, not a deliberate plan to replace them.
“That’s just speculation. Yes, when he was governor, there were issues. In his first term, he and his deputy, Kofo, didn’t get along, and she had to leave. Femi Pedro replaced her. In the second term, he retained Pedro, but Pedro later defected—he wanted to be governor. That’s why he had to go. I don’t want to reopen old wounds, but that’s what happened.
“So, it’s wrong to say he has a pattern of discarding deputies. There were specific political circumstances each time. That’s what I’m explaining,” he said.
Regarding the alleged rift between Tinubu and Shettima, Onanuga said there is no known conflict between them.
According to him, rumours often surround deputy positions in Nigeria, even when there’s no real issue.
“I’m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship. All the speculation is just beer parlour gossip. People even say ridiculous things like Seyi Tinubu is the vice president—absolute nonsense.
“In this country, deputy roles—whether deputy governor or vice president—are always surrounded by rumours. Even when there’s no conflict, people around them will concoct stories. But as far as I know, Tinubu and Shettima work together very well,” he said.
On the issue of whether the Muslim-Muslim ticket would be repeated in 2027, Onanuga said religious fears had faded, pointing out that Christians are practicing their faith freely and that the president had even attended a major Catholic event abroad.
“Christians are living their lives. The president even attended the Pope’s inauguration in Rome. There’s nothing to worry about.
“Many of the names being speculated as potential running mates are Muslims. So again, this isn’t an issue,” he added.
