Ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has cautioned aspirants against actions that could divide the party in the build up to the 2027 general elections.
In a statement on Thursday, Mr Shettima asked the politicians to compete gracefully and exercise restraint in their utterances during the campaign and consultations.
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He said the real challenge for political parties lies beyond primary elections, noting that only a united party can secure victory at the general polls.
He cautioned that while a fractured party can present a candidate, only a united party can produce victory at the polls.
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“At this delicate hour, we must speak to ourselves with candour, but also with restraint. We must remind ourselves that a political party is not a battlefield. It is a family. And even in the most spirited family, the roof must never be pulled down because one room appears warmer than another,” he said.
“We are members of one political household. We may have different aspirations, different loyalists, different zones of influence, different calculations, and different preferred outcomes. That is normal. Democracy was never designed to abolish ambition. It was designed to civilise it. It was designed to teach us that we can compete without destroying one another, disagree without demonising one another, and lose without setting fire to the very platform that gave us a voice.”
APC primaries
APC has scheduled its primary elections for various elective positions with that of president fixed for 23 May.
President Bola Tinubu has also purchased the form to run for second term. The N100 million forms were purchased on the president’s behalf by the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, James Faleke.
The party has also fixed the primaries for the House of Representatives for 18 May and 20 May for the Senate.
The schedule also showed that the primaries for the state Houses of Assembly will be held on 21 May and 23 May for the Governorship.
‘Be wary of mischief makers’ – Shettima
The vice president asked party members to refuse the temptation to be manipulated by “mischief-makers”, vested interests, and those who profit from division.
He said party members must avoid equating disagreement with betrayal or turning competition into hostility, stressing that political parties should be treated as families rather than battlegrounds.
Mr Shettima noted that while ambition is a natural part of democracy, it must be pursued with civility and discipline, adding that the ability to manage differences without destroying party structures is critical to electoral success.
“There will always be those who whisper that one leader has been slighted, that one bloc has been excluded, or that one interest has been buried. These are familiar tricks in the theatre of politics. They are meant to provoke suspicion, inflame supporters, and turn comrades into adversaries before the real contest even begins,” he said.
Mr Shettima cited the leadership style of President Bola Tinubu as an example of political accommodation and coalition-building, which he said should guide party members.
He called on party leaders to ensure fairness and transparency in the conduct of primaries, urging that aspirants be treated with dignity and that grievances be addressed promptly to prevent escalation.
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“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has shown, through a long political journey, that democracy thrives on accommodation, persuasion, resilience, and coalition-building. That example must guide us. The strength of a party is not in the absence of disagreements, but in its capacity to resolve them without losing its soul,” he said.
“So, I appeal to our leaders: let us be fair. I appeal to our aspirants: let us be patient. I appeal to our supporters: let us be disciplined. I appeal to our party faithful: let us be united. The roof over this house shelters all of us. If we pull it down in anger, nobody will be spared by the storm.”
