Melaye says Shettima's record cannot earn him a second term in 2027
- Dino Melaye has written that Vice President Kashim Shettima's time in public office does not justify another term.
- He pointed to the Boko Haram years in Borno and the 2014 Chibok abduction during Shettima's governorship.
- Melaye, an ADC chieftain, argued that voters should judge leaders by results, not promises.
Dino Melaye, a former senator for Kogi West, has taken aim at Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of 2027, arguing that his years in public office do not add up to a case for re-election.
Melaye made the argument in an article he published on his verified X account, titled "A Record That Cannot Carry A Second Term". He is a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In the piece, he asked what Shettima's tenure has changed for Borno State and the North-East, and said anyone seeking another term should be made to answer for what they did with the office they already held.
Shettima was governor of Borno from 2011 to 2019, a period when the Boko Haram insurgency grew into a national crisis. Melaye recalled that the April 2014 abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok happened while Shettima was governor, and said the incident remains the most recognisable symbol of the conflict.
He also listed more recent violence in the region, including reported attacks on a military base in Marte in which soldiers were said to have been killed and gun trucks taken, an assault on Chibok, and the abduction of girls in Askira/Uba.
"These cannot justify a second term for Shettima," Melaye said, adding that a leader should be measured by what was delivered rather than what was announced.
Why it matters
The comments land as attention turns towards the 2027 elections. Criticism from opposition figures like Melaye is likely to shape how the campaign debate over security and governance plays out.
For Nigerians in the North-East, the argument touches on daily reality: whether communities feel safer now than they did under previous administrations, and whether promises made during campaigns have translated into protection for schools, military posts and displaced families.
Melaye's post is an opinion piece, not a legal finding.
What happens next
Expect the article to feed into early 2027 campaign talk, with supporters of the Vice President likely to push back on Melaye's reading of the Borno years.
