2027: Christians now more comfortable with Muslim-Muslim ticket – APC chieftain
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Farouk Aliyu, has said Nigerian Christians are now more comfortable with the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket than they were ahead of the 2023 general election, arguing that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has disproved fears of religious marginalisation.
Aliyu made the remarks during an appearance on ARISE Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday, following President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Defending the President’s decision, Aliyu said the APC leadership opted to retain the same ticket because it had already won the confidence of Nigerians in the last election.
“Our leader, the president, decided in his wisdom not to change the winning ticket. And the Christians in this country, I am sure, are now comfortable, much, much more comfortable than when we came up with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.
He recalled that the APC’s decision to field two Muslim candidates in 2023 generated widespread criticism, with concerns that Christians could be sidelined in government.
“That was when there was a lot of hue and cry that the Christians were going to be marginalized. Well, now it’s history that nobody is being marginalized along religious lines,” Aliyu stated.
According to him, President Tinubu has governed without religious bias since assuming office.
“President Tinubu has been leading this country as a Nigerian, not anybody with any religious toga,” he said.
Aliyu said the party was pleased to retain Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate, noting that changing the ticket could have created unnecessary political challenges for the APC.
“Now it is our own decision, the party, of course, through the leader, to retain Kashim Shettima, and we are very happy that the ticket has not been tinkered with, so that we also, as a party, don’t have to start thinking what next to do,” he said.
The APC chieftain added that the party remained confident Nigerians would once again support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in 2027.
“We’ve tried it when it was hectic, when it was about impossible, and Nigerians believed in us, gave us the chance, and we are doing it again. And we hope Nigerians will believe in us and give us a chance again with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” Aliyu said.
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