Six governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Yobe State met with Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday to address growing controversy over the party’s succession plan ahead of the 2027 election.
The closed-door meeting at Shettima’s Abuja residence brought together Sen. Muhammad Ibrahim Bomai of Yobe South, Lawan Kolo Geidam, former Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency Engr. Mustapha Maihaja, former Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba, Kashim Musa Tumsah, and Bashir Machina. The aspirants, collectively known as the “G-6,” have rejected the adoption of Baba Malam Wali, former Secretary to the State Government, as the party’s consensus candidate. They argue the decision violates both the APC constitution and the Electoral Act, which stipulates that consensus must follow due process and be acceptable to all aspirants.
Vice President Shettima urged the group to embrace dialogue and unity, stressing the importance of maintaining party cohesion in the run-up to the polls. Following the meeting, the aspirants described the talks as “fruitful” and pledged to continue consultations toward either a consensus acceptable to all or peaceful direct primaries. Governor Mai Mala Buni, accused by the group of bias in the succession process, has previously stated that if consensus fails, the party will conduct transparent direct primaries. Buni himself emerged as APC’s candidate in 2019 after consensus collapsed, a precedent the aspirants say should guide the current process.
Shettima, Nigeria’s 15th Vice President, was born in Maiduguri in 1966 and studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri before earning a master’s degree from the University of Ibadan. He worked in banking, rising to General Manager at Zenith Bank, before entering politics in 2007 as commissioner in several ministries under Governor Ali Modu Sheriff. He served as Governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019, where his tenure was defined by the Boko Haram insurgency and humanitarian crises, later representing Borno Central in the Senate from 2019 to 2023 before being elected Vice President alongside President Bola Tinubu in 2023. Known as a pragmatic consensus builder, Shettima has often played a stabilizing role in party disputes.
APC officials in Yobe praised Shettima’s intervention, saying it demonstrated the party’s commitment to internal democracy. Supporters of the aspirants took to X and Facebook, applauding the G-6 for “standing up against imposition,” while others criticized the meeting as “political theater,” arguing that consensus deals rarely favor grassroots members. Analysts and commentators on radio and television noted that Shettima’s involvement reflects the seriousness of the dispute, with some warning that unresolved tensions could weaken APC’s dominance in Yobe. Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Yobe described the controversy as evidence of “deep cracks” within APC, suggesting it could open opportunities for opposition gains in 2027.
The APC has maintained political dominance in Yobe State since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, with Governor Buni, a former APC national chairman, playing a central role in shaping the party’s internal dynamics. The dispute in Yobe reflects broader tensions within the APC nationwide, as factions grapple with succession planning and internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections. Analysts say the outcome of the Yobe contest could serve as a test case for how the ruling party manages competing interests in its strongholds.
