Mustapha Salihu, the National Vice Chairman (Northeast) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has clarified his decision to endorse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu without explicitly including Vice President Kashim Shettima during the recent APC North-East stakeholders’ summit held in Gombe.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Salihu explained that the omission was not an oversight but a reflection of standard party procedures and constitutional norms governing endorsements during party primaries.
“In my full speech, especially the last paragraph before the formal endorsement, I praised Vice President Kashim Shettima as our son and reaffirmed our support for him as people of the North-East,” Salihu said.
“I also expressed appreciation to the National Security Adviser, who is also from our region, and acknowledged the appointments given to North-East indigenes by President Tinubu. Only after that did I move to endorse Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate."
Salihu emphasized that endorsement protocols at the primary level are limited to individuals vying for the presidency, not their running mates.
“In party politics, particularly at the primary stage, the structure only recognizes one candidate per executive office,whether it’s for local government chairman, governor, or president.
There’s no constitutional basis to endorse a joint ticket at that level," he explained.
He added that the vice-presidential slot only comes into play after a presidential candidate emerges from the primaries and exercises his constitutional right to select a running mate.
“That decision lies solely with the presidential flagbearer, although consultations with party leaders and stakeholders may influence the choice.”
Salihu's remarks come amid political speculation following the event, where his endorsement of Tinubu,absent direct mention of Shettima,sparked questions about potential intra-party dynamics in the Northeast bloc of the APC.
