Vice President Kashim Shettima drew widespread online reaction after a video showed him sprinting toward the stage at an All Progressives Congress presidential campaign event in Cross River State, with critics interpreting the display as an effort to counter questions over President Bola Tinubu’s fitness for office.
The footage, which circulated widely on social media, showed Shettima and APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda running toward the podium during the rally at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar. After arriving on stage, Shettima performed his familiar dance steps, while Yilwatda joined in as they sought to lift the mood among supporters.
Some viewers said the vice president’s run appeared intended to project physical strength and rebut assertions that Tinubu is not healthy enough to lead Nigeria.
Aisha Yesufu, a leading figure in the Nigeria Democratic Congress, or NDC, and a committed supporter of the party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, said the former Anambra State governor had effectively challenged other politicians to demonstrate their stamina.
Posting the clip on her official X account, Yesufu wrote: “Peter Obi has given Nigerian politicians an assignment.”
Another X user, influencer Shehu Gazali Sadiq, ridiculed the governing APC and argued that its campaign efforts would not prevent Tinubu from losing the January 16 election.
“This was the APC campaign rally in Cross River State. Kashim Shettima ran a 100-metre race to show that Tinubu is fit,” Sadiq wrote. “It was a flat rally, with no excitement or enthusiasm, and the atmosphere was dull and negative. The crowd was small. Sowore would attract more people than this. APC and Tinubu will go.”
Sadiq’s post, published on November 2, 2026, included the video from the Calabar campaign event.
