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Reports that Bola Tinubu’s vice president Kashim Shettima might be replaced as his running mate in the 2027 elections have been refuted by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Felix Morka, the APC’s national publicity secretary, addressed the rumors on Politics Today on Monday.
When asked about calls for a balanced 2027 ticket both inside and outside the party, Morka said the party is still focused on governance rather than premature election speculating.
“A few hours ago today, I released a statement to dispel some of the rumors that were circulating regarding the potential replacement of Senator Kashim Shettima as vice president. That tale is unique and only accessible through speculation and rumors. It is a lie in itself.
Election-related activities are still prohibited by the Electoral Act and the laws of our country. The media and the general public would not even permit us to seriously discuss this issue.
It is wrong to speculate about who will succeed the vice president while he is in office. It is merely mischievous and intended to stir up misunderstanding and conflict within the political order. That’s why I felt the need to reject that suggestion today and turn my attention to the administration’s efforts to restart the economy and advance,” he said.
Governor Yusuf defeats the APC with nine federal lawmakers in the states.
Morka weighed in on concerns about religious diversity, and he reassured the party that it will take steps to accommodate all Nigerians.
“Our party is very welcoming,” he said. At this time, this is irrelevant. Our party will have the sensibilities and resources needed to engage in that conversation in the country’s best interests when it arrives. Beyond what is necessary, I’m not interested in speculating.
The APC leadership has repeatedly referred to reports that Shettima’s replacement was “purely speculative, untrue, and completely untrue.”
Political blocs have continued to circulate numerous well-known names despite these official denials.
Mitte 2025, the general public largely became aware of Shettima’s potential removal.
After speakers endorsed President Tinubu for a second term but notably excluded Shettima from the endorsement, a meeting of the APC North-East stakeholders in Gombe descended into chaos in June 2025.
Reports that Bola Tinubu’s vice president Kashim Shettima might be replaced as his running mate in the 2027 elections have been refuted by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Felix Morka, the APC’s national publicity secretary, addressed the rumors on Politics Today on Monday.
When asked about calls for a balanced 2027 ticket both inside and outside the party, Morka said the party is still focused on governance rather than premature election speculating.
“A few hours ago today, I released a statement to dispel some of the rumors that were circulating regarding the potential replacement of Senator Kashim Shettima as vice president. That tale is unique and only accessible through speculation and rumors. It is a lie in itself.
Election-related activities are still prohibited by the Electoral Act and the laws of our country. The media and the general public would not even permit us to seriously discuss this issue.
It is wrong to speculate about who will succeed the vice president while he is in office. It is merely mischievous and intended to stir up misunderstanding and conflict within the political order. That’s why I felt the need to reject that suggestion today and turn my attention to the administration’s efforts to restart the economy and advance,” he said.
Governor Yusuf defeats the APC with nine federal lawmakers in the states.
Morka weighed in on concerns about religious diversity, and he reassured the party that it will take steps to accommodate all Nigerians.
“Our party is very welcoming,” he said. At this time, this is irrelevant. Our party will have the sensibilities and resources needed to engage in that conversation in the country’s best interests when it arrives. Beyond what is necessary, I’m not interested in speculating.
The APC leadership has repeatedly referred to reports that Shettima’s replacement was “purely speculative, untrue, and completely untrue.”
Political blocs have continued to circulate numerous well-known names despite these official denials.
Mitte 2025, the general public largely became aware of Shettima’s potential removal.
After speakers endorsed President Tinubu for a second term but notably excluded Shettima from the endorsement, a meeting of the APC North-East stakeholders in Gombe descended into chaos in June 2025.
In the ongoing amendment to electoral law, the National Assembly made a proposal that would grant prisoner inmates in Nigeria the right to cast ballots in elections.
Prior to the start of the National Assembly’s Christmas break, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate’s leader, gave the hints that the proposed law would require the release of funds for general elections at least a year in advance of the election day.
Additionally, Bamidele further revealed that the Electoral Bill, 2025 introduces at least 20 key defining features that would help it stand out from previous electoral regimes.
A similar story is being read by INEC, according to Mahmood.
To accomplish this goal, we have begun reviewing the Electoral Act, 2022, clause by clause. We have accomplished a lot with the Electoral Bill, 2025, to improve how we conduct elections; increase the process’s credibility and hold the political parties accountable.
This perspective aligns with public demands for an electoral system that guarantees voter security. No fewer than 20 defining features are included in the Electoral Bill, 2025, to help it stand out from previous electoral regimes.
First, the Bill recognizes the right of prisoners to vote in accordance with Section 12(1) and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s obligation to register all of the prisoners who are eligible in all correctional facilities nationwide.
Formula 1 drivers gave a cautiously positive reaction to this year’s new cars at the end of the first day of pre-season testing in Spain on Monday.
Mercedes driver George Russell said: “The cars looked really cool out on the circuit and that’s positive for our sport.
“They are quite different for us as drivers but, once you get your head around it, driving them is quite intuitive.
“It’s enjoyable being behind the wheel and there’s a lot for fans to look forward to with these new regulations.”
The Briton’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli described his car as “very nice to drive”, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson said “there is a lot more we can do as drivers to make a difference” and Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto said the new engines felt “very cool”.
The drivers were speaking in pool interviews provided by rights holder F1 and governing body the FIA, or in team statements.
Teams are holding a private test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, to which independent media have not been given access.
Secrecy was so intense that a number of journalists who were trying to observe the new cars from outside the circuit reported being moved on by security guards despite being on public land.
The decision was made to run the test in private as a result of the severe reliability problems a number of teams suffered when the engine rules were last changed in 2014.
This year, the cars are all new – with changes to the regulations governing chassis, engines, tyres and the mandating of carbon-neutral sustainable fuel.
McLarenSeven of the 11 teams were running on Monday – Red Bull, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Haas, Alpine and the new Audi and Cadillac teams.
McLaren said last week that they would not take their car on to the track until after day one as a result of trying to maximise design time. Ferrari, after an initial test at their factory last week, had also announced they would not run on Monday.
Aston Martin have said their new car will not be ready until Thursday, and Williams are missing the test entirely after delays to their design and production programme.
No times were issued, and all teams ran into at least some technical issues as they learned about their new cars.
Rival teams were impressed by the amount of mileage the two Red Bull teams managed considering it was the first full day of running with their new in-house engine, which has been developed in conjunction with new partner Ford.
Before the test started, McLaren and Red Bull revealed images of their 2026 cars for the first time.
McLaren, who won the drivers’ and constructors’ championship double last year for the first time since 1998, showed the car in the one-off testing livery it will run in this week.
Red Bull showed studio shots of their car, carefully chosen to disguise key design features.
Russell added: “We are pleased with our day, but I’ve also been impressed by several other teams.
“The Red Bull power unit has completed a lot of laps which, given that it’s their first engine they’ve built, means they’ve clearly done a good job.
“Haas also managed a similar amount of running to ourselves, so the Ferrari power unit has also put together plenty of mileage. It’s not quite how it was in 2014! The sport has evolved so much since then and the level, in every single aspect, is so high now.”
Audi have taken over the Sauber team for the German car company’s first entry into F1. They suffered a reliability issue that prevented Bortoleto driving in the afternoon.
Team principal Jonathan Wheatley said: “We had a technical issue, spotted it and decided to switch the car off. Plenty of testing this year and wanted to really understand the problems, see what the weather conditions are and decide whether we run tomorrow.”
Rain is forecast for Tuesday’s second day of the test, during which teams are permitted to run on a maximum of three of the available days.
Bortoleto said: “The cars are very different. I feel these are going to be slower but it’s very cool to have the power unit being 50% electric – you go out of the corner and you have so much speed being deployed and you can see how strong the engine is.
“You need to adapt but it’s still a racing car.”
Racing Bulls’ Lawson said: “[The car is] very different to drive and I haven’t got my head around it fully yet. We will keep learning. It feels like there is a lot more we can do as drivers to make a difference, potentially, but right now it’s very early days, very hard to know where we are for now just trying to optimise the car.
“[The power unit] feels good. But it’s very hard to tell – the main thing is reliability at the moment.
In order to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, President Bola Tinubu has made a state visit to Ankara, the capital of the Republic of Türkiye.
The President had earlier left the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Monday at around 2:05 p.m.
His aircraft touched down at the Ankara Esenbo Airport at 9:03 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Yusuf Tekin, the Minister of National Education.
Ambassador Zayyad Abdulsalam, the ambassador’s envoy at the Nigerian embassy in Turkey, along with other embassy officials, welcomed him as well.
Read more about President Tinubu’s State Visit to Turkey.
The presidency made it clear that Tinubu’s visit is focused on strengthening Nigeria’s already cordial relationship with Turkey and looking into potential new cooperation opportunities in order to build a mutually beneficial partnership.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoan and President Tinubu are scheduled to speak with each other during the visit.
Other official engagements will also be included in the program, along with the signing of several memoranda of understandings between the two nations.
On the day of the visit, a business forum will be held to discuss opportunities for reciprocal economic growth between Nigerian and Turkish investors.
The President was greeted by senior Nigerian officials at his hotel, including Lateef Fagbemi, the Justice Minister, the Attorney General of the Federation, Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dele Alake, and General Christopher Musa (rtd), the Defense Minister.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, Kingsley Udeh, the House Committee on Defense, Babajimi Benson, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, and Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed Mohammed, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, were also present at the hotel reception.
At the conclusion of the visit, President Tinubu is anticipated to make a second visit to Nigeria.