A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has said many 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 dispelled fears of religious marginalisation.
Aliyu made the remarks during an appearance on ARISE Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday while defending President Tinubu’s decision to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
According to the APC stalwart, the Tinubu-Shettima ticket has demonstrated over the past three years that concerns expressed by some Christian groups before the 2023 election have not materialised.
“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,” Aliyu said. He added that fears that Christians would be marginalised under the administration had proven unfounded.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the APC in 2023 generated widespread debate, with several Christian organisations, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), expressing concerns that the pairing of two Muslim candidates could undermine religious inclusiveness in the country’s leadership.
Aliyu maintained that President Tinubu has governed “as a Nigerian” rather than along religious lines, insisting that appointments and policies under the current administration do not support claims of religious bias. He argued that retaining the Tinubu-Shettima ticket would provide continuity for the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former House of Representatives member also said the APC was satisfied with the decision to keep Vice President Shettima on the ticket, noting that altering the presidential pairing could have created unnecessary political challenges for the party. He expressed confidence that Nigerians would once again support the APC in the next general election.
Aliyu’s comments come amid renewed political debate following the APC’s decision to retain its 2023 presidential ticket for the 2027 race. While supporters of the move have described it as a strategic decision based on continuity, critics continue to argue that religious balancing remains an important consideration in Nigeria’s diverse political landscape.
