As the 2027 election season approaches, political permutations and alliances are set to begin in earnest.
It is an uncontested fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will offer himself to the APC for nomination to contest the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. When the time comes for the party’s national convention in 2026, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to secure the APC nomination unchallenged.
During the last two years of his presidency, the uneasy relationship between President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima came to light with the sudden and unexpected resignation of Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed as Special Adviser (Political) to the President in the office of the Vice President. The body language of Baba-Ahmed spoke volumes of disaffection and frustration over the ineffectiveness of his considered opinion or position in the decision-making process of government.
There has been an acrobatic display of power and influence between the President’s office and that of the Vice President. Rightly or wrongly, the Vice President’s office was allegedly sidelined in policy formulation and appointments.
Perhaps the President’s inner circle is not on the same page with the Vice President’s office and may have already started strategizing to shop for a running mate from the Northwest geopolitical zone, given the zone’s huge electoral value — an important factor in winning a second term. Moreover, the defection of several opposition stalwarts into the ADC may further compel the APC to scout for a formidable, tested, and experienced political heavyweight from the region to replace Kashim Shettima, who hails from the Northeast.
The recent meeting in Kaduna between President Tinubu and Sule Lamido, former Governor of Jigawa State, strongly indicates Lamido’s possible defection to the APC, with his name being considered as a potential running mate to the President in 2027.
By all intents and purposes, Sule Lamido is eminently qualified to serve as Vice President. He is one of the last standing politicians from the Second Republic. He has served as Obasanjo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, two-term Governor of Jigawa State, and was also a member of the House of Representatives during the Second Republic.
Across his decades of political exposure, experience, and wisdom, Lamido has performed creditably well, recording significant achievements and success.
As Governor of Jigawa State, he achieved remarkable progress unprecedented since the state’s creation in 1991. Jigawa witnessed phenomenal growth in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and agriculture — the mainstay of the state’s economy. Sule Lamido promoted unity and equal opportunity for all citizens without discrimination of any kind. Under his leadership, the state’s agricultural sector boomed, and he established the Ministry of Solid Minerals to harness Jigawa’s vast mineral resources that had long remained untapped.
As Foreign Affairs Minister, he ensured Nigeria retained its leadership role in the West African subregion, providing ECOWAS with necessary support and cooperation while strengthening Nigeria’s influence across Africa. In his dealings with foreign missions in Nigeria, he consolidated cordial and friendly relations with ambassadors and high commissioners, while managing Nigeria’s relationships with neighboring francophone countries without incident.
Sule Lamido would indeed be an excellent choice for Vice President should President Tinubu decide to look to the Northwest geopolitical zone for a change.
Indeed, the cap fits Sule Lamido. He is a leader who would make the North proud — an effective statesman whose leadership qualities can unite the region. His polished background as a former legislator, minister, and governor sets him apart in any crowd.
His personal attributes — friendly yet principled, dedicated, focused, reliable, an achiever, and above all, an experienced politician with a deep sense of nationalism and patriotic zeal for Nigeria and its people — make him the ideal choice.
Sule Lamido is indeed the man to pick for the Vice President’s slot, should the President look to the Northwest for a change.
Mahmud Shuaibu Ringim
mahmudshuaibu44@gmail.com
