Vice President Kashim Shettima has formally submitted President Bola Tinubu’s expression of interest and nomination forms for the 2027 presidential election, declaring that the president has “proved his mettle” in navigating Nigeria’s economic challenges.

The submission to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee in Abuja on Thursday marks the formalisation of the president’s bid for a second term.

It follows the initial purchase of the ₦100 million forms on 28 April by James Faleke, who acted on behalf of the president and various support groups.

Addressing party leadership, Vice President Shettima framed the administration’s first term as a period of necessary hardship required for long-term recovery.

“As he seeks to lead us for another four-year term, through thick and thin, the President has proved his mettle and has shown the world his capacity and resolve to pull the nation out of the woods of misery and pain,” Shettima stated.

Responding to the scrutiny over rising inflation and the removal of the petrol subsidy, the Vice President argued that the President remains undeterred by the political risks of his reforms.



“The storms of the past years have not diminished him; they have made a fine steel out of him,” the Vice President said.

“He has steered this ship through turbulent waters with courage, taking difficult but necessary decisions to stabilise the economy, restore confidence, and prepare Nigeria for a more sustainable future.”

The formal submission follows weeks of political consultation within the APC. James Faleke, while picking up the forms in April, noted that the move was a response to “calls from across the six geo-political zones” for the president to consolidate on infrastructure and social welfare reforms.

However, the 2027 bid is being formalised against a backdrop of significant socio-economic pressure. While the presidency cites foreign exchange stability and increased investor confidence as successes, the headline inflation rate and the high cost of living continue to drive national debate.

Acknowledging the friction between government policy and public sentiment, Shettima said with a philosophical nod to the administration’s stance.

“Hence, our support and reason for rallying around him, the truth that sets men free is most often the truth that men prefer not to hear,” he said.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has warned the federal government to hands off its judicial matters and cease all alleged attempts to interfere in the ongoing case involving Nafiu Bala Gombe through covert pressure on Justice Nwite to recuse himself from the matter.


The party said it has uncovered a disturbing plot by desperate forces within the corridors of power to frustrate the course of justice by mounting pressure on Justice Nwite to step aside from the case so that it can be reassigned to judges perceived to be pliable and politically compliant.

It stated that this sinister plot, if allowed to stand, represents a direct assault on the integrity of the judiciary and a dangerous escalation in the ongoing attempts to weaponise state institutions against the opposition.


This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, and made available to journalists.

According to the statement, the ADC legal team indicated that despite the fact that the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the Supreme Court judgment has not yet been released or formally communicated to the trial court, the matter has curiously been fixed before Justice Nwite for May 8, 2026.


“We have credible reasons to believe that this unusual haste is part of a calculated scheme to force Justice Nwite into recusing himself, thereby creating an opening for the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to transfer the matter to judges allegedly considered more amenable to political influence.

“This development runs contrary to both the spirit and letter of the directives earlier issued by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, which ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter by the substantive trial judge.

“Any attempt to remove the case from Justice Nwite, whether by administrative manipulation, intimidation, blackmail, or coordinated pressure, amounts to a deliberate interference in the due administration of justice.


“We must state unequivocally that judicial recusal is not a tool for political convenience. It is an extraordinary measure guided by law, facts and established judicial principles, not by whispers from desperate political actors seeking favourable outcomes through the backdoor.

“Even where petitions exist against a judicial officer, due process demands that all parties be notified and heard before any decision is taken. A judge does not abandon his constitutional duty merely because vested interests have manufactured allegations against him.

“What is unfolding before Nigerians is an alarming attempt to bend the judiciary into an annex of partisan politics. The growing desperation to procure ‘friendly courts’ and ‘convenient judges’ poses a grave danger not only to opposition parties, but to the survival of constitutional democracy itself.


“We therefore call on the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and all men and women of conscience within the judiciary to urgently intervene and halt this dangerous descent into judicial compromise.”

The ADC further called on the National Judicial Council, NJC, the international community and diplomatic missions in Nigeria to pay close attention to these dangerous developments and impress it upon the Nigerian government that democracy cannot survive where courts are manipulated to serve partisan interests.

It noted that the independence of the judiciary remains the bedrock of every democratic society, and any attempt by state actors to intimidate judges, influence judicial assignments, or interfere in politically sensitive cases strikes at the very heart of constitutional governance.

“Nigeria must not be allowed to slide into an era where justice is no longer determined by law, but by the whims of those who wield political power.

“The collapse of democratic order in Nigeria’s First and Second Republics, as well as the tragic subversion of the June 12, 1993 mandate, cannot be discussed without reference to the shameful roles played by certain reckless judicial actors who wore the robes of judges by day and the garments of politicians by night.

“Those currently entrusted with the sacred responsibility of administering justice must resist every attempt to drag the judiciary into the muddy waters of political conspiracy.

“The judiciary must remain the last hope of the common man, and not the last refuge of desperate politicians terrified of justice,” the party said, adding that Nigeria’s democracy is too fragile to survive another season of judicial recklessness.

Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has been relieved of his position as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, just hours after he represented All Progressives Congress (APC) governors at the submission of President Bola Tinubu’s presidential nomination and expression of interest forms in Abuja on Thursday.

According to Arise News, the decision was announced at an extraordinary meeting of about 20 progressive governors held in Abuja on Thursday night.

The meeting, which reportedly had the attendance of governors from states including Ogun, Bayelsa, Enugu and others, also had about 17 governors in attendance.