IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts claim Bola Tinubu will run with Rabiu Kwankwaso, and not his deputy Kashim Shettima, in the 2027 presidential election. But the presidency says this is not true.
Nigeria’s political scene is heating up ahead of the 2027 general election, with defections, coalition talks and fears of a one-party state dominating public discourse.
In Nigeria's presidential system, political parties first nominate their candidates. The candidates then choose their running mates, often in an attempt to strike a balance in terms of region, religion or politics.
Against this backdrop, several online posts in late June 2025 alleged that president Bola Tinubu had chosen opposition politician Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate for 2027, instead of his vice president Kashim Shettima.
One of the posts begins: “BREAKING: Tinubu Dumps Shettima, To Pick Kwankwaso As 2027 Running Mate.”
Tinubu, who won the 2023 election on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was endorsed by his party in May 2025 to stand again in 2027.
Kwankwaso is the leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and a prominent northern politician who is often mentioned in discussions about political realignment. He previously served as the governor of Kano state.
The claim has also been repeated by other Facebook users here and here. (Note: See other instances of the claim at the end of this report.)
But did Tinubu actually replace Shettima with Kwankwaso? We checked.
Tinubu’s Lagos deputy changes were situational: aide
Some have cited Tinubu’s changes of deputy while serving as Lagos governor between 1999 and 2007 as an indication that he may drop Shettima. However, the presidency claims that these were different situations.
His first deputy, Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, resigned in 2002 following a reported disagreement. She was replaced by Femi Pedro, who also left office ahead of schedule due to political disagreements.
But presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has dismissed attempts to link those events to Tinubu’s current administration, saying there’s no evidence of tension between the president and Shettima.
“I’m not aware of any issues between the president and the vice president. From what I know, they have an excellent working relationship,” he told local media.
Tinubu yet to pick running mate, says presidency
Onanuga said Tinubu has not officially accepted the APC’s nomination for a second term and no decision has been made on a running mate.
“In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate. That’s what happened under former president Muhammadu Buhari – he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once,” he was quoted as saying.
He said the APC was waiting for the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to release the election timetable. Once it's out, the party will hold its convention, and if Tinubu is nominated, he will choose a running mate.
At the time of writing, Inec had not released the 2027 timetable and the ruling party had not held a convention to confirm Tinubu as its candidate.
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