By Dr. Tukur Madu Yemi
Federal University of Kashere, Gombe
16th June 2025

The recent political drama at the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northeast stakeholders’ meeting in Gombe State offers a sobering but timely lesson one about unity, mutual respect, and the necessity of strategic inclusion in national politics.

The uproar was triggered when Comrade Mustapha Salihu, the APC National Vice Chairman (Northeast), failed to mention Vice President Kashim Shettima a leading figure from the region while publicly endorsing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term. For many, this was not a mere oversight. It was a symbolic and potentially calculated act that insulted the collective pride of the Northeast.

The Core of the Crisis: Recognition and Regional Dignity

Vice President Shettima is not just any politician he is the highest-ranking political figure from the Northeast. In a party meeting attended by ministers, governors, lawmakers, and even the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, such an omission carried a loud message: that the region’s most prominent voice in the federal executive could be sidelined without consequence.

To compound the issue, Salihu who hails from the same region as Shettima seemed to align himself with a Northwest-led national agenda by championing Tinubu’s second-term bid without referencing or acknowledging the role and stake of the Northeast in that vision. This raised deep concerns about loyalty, regional unity, and intra-party equity.

A Dangerous Signal: When Regional Champions Abandon Their Own

In a political landscape where zoning, regional balancing, and power-sharing are pivotal to stability, such an action by a supposed National Vice Chairman for the Northeast sends a dangerous signal. It portrays a scenario where a leader entrusted with defending regional interests instead becomes a pawn in broader national calculations even at the expense of his own constituency.

This is not just poor judgment; it is political betrayal.

When regional leaders abandon their own at crucial political moments, it sends a message to other zones that the Northeast lacks internal cohesion, and therefore, lacks bargaining strength. This perception, unfortunately, becomes reality and the region suffers the consequences in appointments, policy consideration, and federal presence.

The Real Lesson: Unity Is the Region’s Strength

The Northeast has long played the role of the political underdog. Yet, with Vice President Shettima in office, the region now stands on firmer ground. However, influence in Abuja is not sustained by titles alone it is sustained by regional cohesion and collective resolve.

When internal fractures begin to appear when sons of the soil become instruments of marginalization the region loses its bargaining power.

It is worth asking: would any leader from the Southwest or Northwest dare to exclude one of their own at such a critical political gathering? Certainly not. Those regions have mastered the politics of unity and strategic assertion. The Northeast must now do the same or risk remaining perpetually in the shadows of others.

Respect and Symbolism: Political Capital in Nigerian Politics

In Nigerian politics, symbolism is substance. Recognition is power. A name mentioned in a speech, a handshake, or a visible show of solidarity can mean the difference between marginalization and momentum.

That Vice President Shettima was ignored by his own party vice chairman from the Northeast was not just an affront to him personally, but to the entire region’s standing within the APC.

Leadership at this level requires emotional intelligence, political foresight, and strategic loyalty. To undermine one of our own at a time when the region should be consolidating power and building influence is a step backward.

What the Northeast Must Do: Strategic Recalibration

This incident must not be dismissed as a one-off embarrassment. It is a wake-up call.

The Northeast must urgently reassess its internal political coordination. Stakeholders must:

Close ranks and avoid internal sabotage.

Ensure that those in leadership roles act in alignment with the region’s collective interest.

Begin early consultations on the 2027 political trajectory not just as cheerleaders of others but as active participants in shaping national power.

Hold regional representatives accountable for missteps that weaken the Northeast’s position.

It is time for the Northeast to rise with one voice and demand its rightful place not through conflict, but through cohesion, strategy, and loyalty to its own.

National Loyalty vs. Regional Responsibility: Striking the Balance

The most disheartening aspect of the Gombe incident was not just the omission, but the perception that a Northeast leader would compromise his regional duty to please power blocs from other zones. The presence of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, APC National Chairman and a key figure from the Northwest, only amplified the tension. The optics were clear: while the Northwest is tactically advancing its interests, some in the Northeast appear too eager to play along — even when it means undermining their own.

This misstep will not be forgotten quickly, and the consequences are political and psychological. At a time when the region should consolidate its gains and rally behind its highest office holder since 1999, internal betrayal only weakens the negotiating table. It emboldens other zones to disregard the Northeast when it comes to power-sharing, appointments, or national agenda-setting.

Conclusion: Never Again

Let this serve as a political baptism for the Northeast APC a moment to reset and recalibrate. The region must not allow personal ambition or external influence to dictate its internal alignment. Any stakeholder who cannot defend or even acknowledge a sitting Vice President from his own backyard has no business speaking for the region.

Political respect must be earned, but it must also be demanded. The Northeast has earned its place in national politics. Going forward, its leaders must learn to defend it, project it, and unify behind it. Anything less is not just unacceptable it’s a disservice to the millions who look to the region’s leaders for representation and progress.

History is watching. And so is 2027.