{"id":16212,"date":"2026-10-19T12:51:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T12:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/?p=16212"},"modified":"2026-10-19T12:52:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T12:52:27","slug":"apcs-internal-conflict-is-divisive-facing-imminent-implosion-shettima-vice-presidentscares-me-more-than-participation-of-atiku-obi-in-2027-presidential-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/apcs-internal-conflict-is-divisive-facing-imminent-implosion-shettima-vice-presidentscares-me-more-than-participation-of-atiku-obi-in-2027-presidential-election\/","title":{"rendered":"APC’s Internal Conflict is Divisive, facing imminent implosion-Shettima, Nigeria’s Vice President\u2026Scares me more than participation of Atiku, Obi in 2027 presidential election"},"content":{"rendered":"

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*<\/em><\/strong> BY PHILIP FAVOUR BOLUWATIFE\/SOUTHWEST CORRESPONDENT, Naija Standard Newspaper Inc USA<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

AS the saying goes: \u201cnot all that glitter is gold\u201d, the ruling political party in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress APC, seems to be facing an on-going internal crisis that could precipitate a multi-layered division in the cohesion of its political structures, such that \u201cthings fall apart and the centre no longer to hold\u201d, as originated from the iconic 1919 poem “The Second Coming” by Irish poet William Butler Yeats, written in the aftermath of World War I, the poem uses this phrasing to describe a world descending into chaos, anarchy, and spiritual crisis. This powerful line was further amplified by a famous Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe in literature \u2018Things Fall Apart (1958 Novel)\u2019.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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*PHOTO: NIGERIA’S VICE PRESIDENT, KASHIM SHETTIMA DISCUSSING IMPORTANT ISSUE:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sounding the red alarm and raising the flag of warning is Nigeria\u2019s Vice President Kashim Shettima who said he fears divisions within the APC more than he fears the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Shettima spoke on Saturday in Abuja when he unveiled the campaign head office of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a northern coalition backing the Tinubu\/Shettima ticket, and formally inaugurated its campaign structure.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, 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,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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*PHOTO: NIGERIA’S VICE PRESIDENT, KASHIM SHETTIMA:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He warned northern leaders against pursuing the presidential race at the expense of their governors. \u201cThere 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,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s rally round our governors. Let\u2019s rally round our members of the National Assembly. Let\u2019s rally round President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and see to the victory in the next round of elections,\u201d he added.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Vice President said the North had already made its choice. \u201cBy now, I believe the North has spoken. We have spoken with a resounding voice and unmistakable conviction. From Adamawa to Zamfara, from Borno to Niger, we have spoken,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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*PHOTO: NIGERIA’S VICE PRESIDENT, KASHIM SHETTIMA, THINKING ABOUT THE 2027 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION & DIVISION IN APC PARTY:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He told the gathering that the poll is close. \u201cIn less than 100 days, Nigerians will return to the polls. Democracy requires us to seek their confidence again, with humility about the work outstanding and conviction about the cause we have chosen,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On Atiku Abubakar, Shettima urged party members to take him on respectfully. \u201cGo and perform. Go and defeat Baba Atiku. Defeat him respectfully,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He said the party had the structure to contest every polling unit. \u201cThere are 176,845 polling units across the country. The APC, from ward to local government levels, has 361,045 officials. What it means is that we can match every polling unit two to two,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Shettima said appointees must prove their local strength. \u201cPolitics is still local,\u201d he said, adding that he had asked the Borno State governor to compile a list of all political appointees from the state to local government level. \u201cLet him account for his performance at his polling unit, at his ward unit and in his local government,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On the party\u2019s standing in the North, he said, \u201cOut of 19 states in the North, 18 are in the APC.\u201d He said 15 of the 18 members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from Kano in the House of Representatives have crossed to the APC, adding: \u201cThe governor is with the APC.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Vice President acknowledged that many families are struggling. \u201cEvery household struggling to make ends meet reminds us how much remains to be done,\u201d he said. \u201cWe lose our hearing when applause becomes our only source of information.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Defending the administration\u2019s economic record, he said Tinubu inherited a weak economy. \u201cWhen President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership in this country, what we had in our foreign reserves was a country with 3.9 billion dollars, barely enough to import oil for one month. And our Ways and Means expenditure was over N27 trillion.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria was on the road to Caracas. The economy was teetering on the brink of collapse. He literally saved the nation,\u201d Shettima said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He added that \u201cfor the first time in nearly 18 years, our foreign reserves are in the neighbourhood of 58.9 billion dollars.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He assured that the North has nothing to fear about a Tinubu second term.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the North, we have absolutely nothing to fear in a Tinubu second term. He has the North at heart,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, moved a motion at the event for the President\u2019s return and asked the audience to affirm it.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToday is a time for us to renew a mandate that was largely supported by the North, and the North again will largely support the return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term,\u201d Yilwatda said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He cited the President\u2019s projects in the region, including the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and Kano-Maiduguri roads. \u201cThose two roads alone are over 900 kilometres, more than the 700 kilometres of Lagos Road,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Director General of A4A and former Jigawa State governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, said the new campaign headquarters is at No. 4 Port Harcourt Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, and described it as \u201cthe biggest campaign office anywhere in the country.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet it be understood that this building is more than just a campaign office. It is a message. It says that Arewa is serious,\u201d Badaru said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

He said the group would run \u201ca campaign that is disciplined, peaceful and issue-based,\u201d taking its message to markets, farms, campuses, mosques and churches.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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