A former National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Ismail Ahmed, has asserted that within the ruling party, it is customary not to challenge a sitting president seeking a second term.
Ahmed made this known while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he explained the party’s internal tradition regarding presidential re-election.
“We have a culture in the APC, and that culture is that the sitting president is not challenged; he is going to have his second-term ticket if he wants it,” he said.
Addressing speculations of a strained relationship between President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, Ahmed dismissed such claims as baseless. He described the controversy surrounding the recent APC North-East Summit as exaggerated and unwarranted.
“There is no discussion about substituting the vice president (Kashim Shettima), and there are no discussions about the vice president being blocked from seeing the president. These are all malicious rumours by those who don’t understand what is going on in the presidency,” he clarified.
Ahmed further emphasized that while no political relationship is without minor tensions, the working relationship between the president and vice president remains strong.
“There is no rift between President Tinubu and VP Shettima. No relationship is 100%, but there is trust between them,” he stated.
Commenting on the opposition’s role, Ahmed downplayed any concerns within the APC about potential threats.
“We are not scared of any opposition as we speak. Do we have work to do? Yes, absolutely. President Tinubu encourages (political) competition. He is not afraid of it,” he added.
