Vice President Kashim Shettima will travel from Abuja to Libreville, Gabon, on Saturday, May 3, 2025, instead of his principal, President Bola Tinubu, to represent Nigeria at the inauguration of the newly elected President of Gabon, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.
According to a statement from the vice president’s spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Oligui Nguema, who has been serving as Gabon’s interim leader since August 2023, achieved a significant victory in the presidential election held on April 12.
Naija News understands that the final results from Gabon’s Constitutional Court indicate that Oligui Nguema received 58,074 votes, which is approximately 94.85% of the total votes cast.
He competed against seven other candidates, including former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who came in second with only 3% of the votes, while the remaining candidates did not exceed the 1% mark.
“Nigeria remains supportive of the peaceful democratic transition in Gabon and reaffirms the government’s broader strategic interest in promoting democratic governance and regional stability in Central Africa,” Nkwocha mentioned in the statement made available to journalists.
He disclosed that Shettima is expected to return to Nigeria immediately after the inauguration.
Meanwhile, the North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has firmly opposed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu should drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Naija News reports that the Forum’s position was outlined in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga.
This stance comes in response to recent agitation from a group known as the North-Central Renaissance Movement, which had urged Tinubu to consider a vice-presidential candidate from the North-Central region as a prerequisite for the region’s support in the 2027 polls.
According to the Movement, the zone ought to produce the Vice President in the next election cycle.
Countering this call, the North-Central APC Forum declared unwavering support for both Tinubu and Shettima, asserting that the endorsement extended equally to both leaders.
“The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum rejects calls on President Bola Tinubu to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in 2027,” the statement read.
“The calls are not coming from stakeholders of the APC in the North-Central. We disassociate ourselves from the calls and we hereby emphasize that our endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for the 2027 election extends the Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
“For emphasis, we hereby again endorse President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for the 2027 election.”
Zazzaga noted that Tinubu should disregard the ongoing campaigns seeking a change in running mate, stressing that such efforts aim to destabilise his administration.