The South South leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday reaffirmed its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid, endorsing him as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.
In what has become a noticeable pattern, Vice President Kashim Shettima was again left out of the endorsement, fueling further speculation about his future political role within the party.
The endorsement came at the end of a high-level stakeholders’ meeting held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, Benin City, Edo State. The communique issued after the meeting also adopted four sitting governors from the region as consensus candidates for re-election under the APC banner. They are Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, and Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State.
The communiqué was read by APC National Vice Chairman (South South), Hon. Victor Giadom, who said the party was confident in the performance and popularity of the endorsed leaders, adding that they have demonstrated capacity and loyalty to the party’s agenda.
President Tinubu, currently on an official trip to Brazil, was represented at the meeting by a high-level delegation, while Delta State Governor Oborevwori, who accompanied the president, was represented by his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme.
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The meeting was attended by prominent South South APC figures, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Acting APC National Chairman Ali Bukar Dalori, Senators Adams Oshiomhole and Timipre Sylva, Minister of Niger Delta Development Abubakar Momoh, and other key stakeholders.
Participants commended President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” citing major reforms such as the student loan scheme, tax relief for low-income earners, and infrastructure projects including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway as indicators of his commitment to national transformation.
The gathering also used the opportunity to call on the governors of Rivers and Bayelsa States to join the APC to foster political unity and regional development.
Meanwhile, the repeated exclusion of Vice President Shettima from these high-profile endorsements continues to draw attention. APC officials have attributed the omission to internal party protocol, stating that the party is currently focused solely on the presidential ticket, and that the vice-presidential slot will be addressed at a later date.
However, political observers note that Shettima’s absence from the party’s growing list of public endorsements, first at the national meeting in Abuja, then at the North East and now South South summits, could point to deeper issues within the party’s hierarchy as 2027 approaches.
