Presidency has stated that President Bola Tinubu will not announce a running mate for the 2027 presidential election until he is formally nominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during its national convention in 2026.
This clarification was made by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, during an interview with Daily Trust. According to Onanuga, it is premature to speculate on Tinubu’s running mate as no nomination has yet taken place.
“When I read the report, I dismissed it as a nonissue. In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate,” he explained.
He cited a similar precedent during the Buhari administration, where the running mate was chosen after the candidate’s official nomination. “You don’t do both at once. Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate.”
The clarification comes amid growing speculation within the APC and political circles about who may be considered for the role, as the countdown to 2027 begins.
PRESIDENCY: NO VP UNTIL NOMINATION OF TINUBU
