The Presidency has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu will choose his running mate in the 2027 election only after formally accepting the All Progressives Congress’ nomination during its convention in 2026.

Special Adviser to the President on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on Thursday in an interview with Daily Trust newspaper.

Onanuga dismissed the concern that the presidency has remained silent over the omission of Vice President Kashim Shettima from a wave of endorsements for Tinubu.

According to him, the speculation of a rift between Tinubu and Shettima was baseless.

“When I read the report, I dismissed it as a non-issue. In a presidential system, the candidate emerges first and then selects a running mate. That’s what happened under Buhari – he was nominated first and later picked his running mate. You don’t do both at once.

“Once INEC releases the timetable, the party convention will hold, and if the president is nominated again, he will choose his running mate,” he said.