“I am more afraid of internal contradictions” – Shettima on APC, Atiku, Obi

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said he fears divisions within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) more than he fears the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections, Vanguard reports.

Shettima spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the unveiling of the campaign head office of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a northern coalition backing the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.

“Honestly, I am not afraid of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP. I am not afraid of a diminished Peter Obi. But I am more afraid of internal contradictions within our household. If we unite as a people, as a family, we will conquer,” he said.

He warned northern leaders against pursuing the presidential race at the expense of their governors. “There is no point in championing the cause of the presidential election and then undermining the governor in the gubernatorial election. Honestly, it will not go down well with the system,” he said.

On Atiku Abubakar, he urged party members to take him on respectfully. “Go and perform. Go and defeat Baba Atiku. Defeat him respectfully,” he said.

Shettima said the APC has 361,045 officials from ward to local government levels, enough to “match every polling unit two to two” across the country’s 176,845 polling units. He added that “out of 19 states in the North, 18 are in the APC.”

Defending the administration’s record, he said Tinubu inherited an economy “teetering on the brink of collapse.” He said foreign reserves are now about $58.9 billion, up from $3.9 billion.

APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda moved a motion for Tinubu’s return, while A4A Director General Muhammad Badaru Abubakar said the group would run “a campaign that is disciplined, peaceful and issue-based.”