A summit organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for stakeholders from Nigeria’s North-East ended in tension on Sunday in Gombe State.
Delegates from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States attended the event. Highlights included speeches from Governors Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Babagana Zulum (Borno), and Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), who all praised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and lauded his support for a northerner’s eight-year presidency.
The three governors jointly endorsed Tinubu for a second term and urged the northern region to reciprocate his support in 2027.
Tension erupted, however, after APC North-East Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, concluded his speech by naming Tinubu as the sole candidate for the next presidential election—without any mention of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The omission provoked protests from some delegates, who demanded Shettima’s inclusion in the endorsement.
Governor Zulum attempted to calm the room, but his intervention failed to ease the rising anger. The situation escalated until security personnel stepped in to restore order.
Later, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje addressed the audience, offering separate commendations to both Tinubu and Shettima, which helped to reduce the tension.
On 22 May 2025, 22 APC governors had unanimously adopted Tinubu as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate. Like the Gombe summit, that endorsement also omitted any reference to Vice President Shettima.
Reacting to the development, Borno South Senator Ali Ndume distanced himself from the endorsement. He expressed pity for Tinubu, recalling that former President Goodluck Jonathan had secured the backing of 22 PDP governors ahead of the 2015 election but still lost to Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.