1. Event Snapshot (Quick Facts)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | APC North-East Zonal Public Hearing |
| Purpose | Amendment of APC Constitution |
| Location | Maiduguri, Borno State |
| Date | Monday |
| Controversy | Exclusion of Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s photo |
| Party | All Progressives Congress (APC) |
| Region Affected | North-East Nigeria |
2. Banner Content Breakdown
| Included on Banner | Status |
|---|---|
| President Bola Ahmed Tinubu | ✅ Included |
| APC Governors (North-East – 5) | ✅ Included |
| APC National Legal Adviser | ✅ Included |
| Vice-President Kashim Shettima | ❌ Excluded |
Key Observation:
Shettima is both Vice-President of Nigeria and a Borno indigene, making the omission politically sensitive.
3. Stakeholder Reactions
| Stakeholder | Reaction |
|---|---|
| Borno Speaker Abdulkarim Lawan | Open protest, expressed shock |
| APC Delegates | Loud disapproval, applause |
| Party Stakeholders | Described omission as disrespectful |
| Observers | Linked incident to internal APC tensions |
4. Historical Context (Pattern Indicator)
| Previous Incident | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Gombe APC event (last year) | VP’s photo excluded |
| Result | Fracas, meeting disrupted |
| Current Event (Borno) | Similar exclusion |
| Risk Signal | Escalating intra-party tension |
Insight:
This is not an isolated error, but a repeating pattern.
5. Political Undercurrents
| Issue | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Muslim–Muslim ticket | Ongoing internal criticism |
| 2027 election permutations | Speculation of VP replacement |
| Regional power balance | North-East sensitivity |
| Party unity | Under strain |
Key Insights & What It Means
1. Symbolism Matters in Nigerian Politics
Excluding the Vice-President’s image is not a minor oversight—it signals political distancing in a culture where symbolism equals loyalty.
2. North-East APC Feels Marginalized
Shettima represents the region at the highest level. His omission is interpreted as regional disrespect, not just personal slight.
3. Pattern Suggests Internal Power Struggle
Repeated exclusions point to intentional sidelining, not coincidence—especially amid 2027 succession talks.
4. Risk of Internal Party Crisis
The Gombe incident already escalated into violence. Repetition increases the likelihood of open factional conflict.
5. Strategic Warning Sign for APC Leadership
Failure to address this could:
- Deepen cracks within APC
- Alienate North-East base
- Complicate Tinubu’s re-election calculus
Bottom Line
This is not about a missing photograph.
It is about power, succession, regional balance, and party cohesion—and the APC is sending mixed signals at a critical time.
Maiduguri was thrown into political tension on Monday after the All Progressives Congress (APC) omitted the photograph of Vice-President Kashim Shettima from a banner displayed at the party’s North-East Zonal Public Hearing on the amendment of its constitution.
The banner, prepared for the event in Maiduguri, featured images of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the five APC governors from the North-East zone and the party’s National Legal Adviser. Conspicuously missing, however, was the image of Vice-President Shettima, Nigeria’s number two citizen and a prominent APC leader from Borno State.
The omission sparked immediate outrage among party stakeholders and delegates, many of whom viewed it as a disrespectful slight against the Vice-President and the region he represents. Tension in the hall heightened when the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, openly challenged the organisers over the development.
Addressing the gathering, Lawan expressed shock and warned that such actions could fuel unnecessary divisions within the party. “Why would the Vice-President’s picture not be included on the banner? This was what created the fracas in Gombe, and it is repeating itself here in Borno. I do not know the motive of the organisers, but it is not right,” he said.
He further questioned the rationale behind excluding a sitting Vice-President who hails from the North-East, stressing that the act amounted to treating a key party leader with disdain. His remarks were met with thunderous applause from delegates, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction within the hall.
Observers noted that the incident was not without precedent. A similar omission of Shettima’s photograph at an APC event in Gombe State last year reportedly degenerated into a fracas that disrupted the meeting and forced it to end abruptly. The recurrence of such an incident has raised concerns about internal party tensions in the region.
The controversy is also unfolding against the backdrop of growing political speculation ahead of the 2027 general elections, including reports suggesting possible changes to the APC presidential ticket amid criticisms of the Muslim–Muslim pairing that produced the Tinubu-Shettima administration.
While the APC leadership is yet to officially respond to the incident, Monday’s events in Maiduguri underscore rising sensitivities within the ruling party, particularly in the North-East, where Shettima remains a significant political figure. For many party members present, the exclusion was more than a design error—it was seen as a troubling signal at a time when unity remains critical for the party’s future.
