National Vice Chairman (North-East) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has stated that endorsing both a presidential aspirant and their running mate before the party’s primary election is unconstitutional.
Salihu made the remarks during an interview with Channels Television on Monday, addressing speculation following his public endorsement of President Bola Tinubu at the recent APC North-East summit in Gombe — an endorsement that did not include Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Explaining the omission, Salihu said the move was deliberate and grounded in the APC’s internal rules and the Nigerian constitution.
“In party politics, we have only one ticket at the primary stage — for the executive chairman, local government chairman, governors, and president,” he said.
“There is no provision in our constitution that allows for the endorsement of a joint ticket at that level. It is only after the primaries, when a candidate emerges, that he chooses a running mate.”
Salihu emphasised that his full speech acknowledged and praised Vice President Shettima, and included a declaration of support for him.
He also noted that other senior figures in the party, including Governors Mai Mala Buni of Yobe and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, had similarly endorsed Tinubu without mentioning Shettima, further supporting the claim that this is standard party practice.
Responding to rumours of discord within the APC leadership, Salihu dismissed them as speculative.
“These kinds of rumours are inevitable in every administration,” he said, downplaying any suggestion of a rift between Tinubu and his deputy.
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