Politics

Christians now more comfortable with Muslim-Muslim ticket, says APC chieftain

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has said Nigerian Christians are now more comfortable with the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket than they were before the 2023 general election, arguing that President Bola Ahmed 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, following President 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 chose to retain the same ticket because it had already earned the confidence of Nigerians.

> “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.

Aliyu recalled that the APC’s decision to field two Muslim candidates in the 2023 election attracted widespread criticism, with concerns that Christians could be marginalised if the party won power.

> “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,” he 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,” Aliyu said.

He added that the party was pleased to retain Vice President Shettima on the ticket, noting that making changes 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.

Aliyu expressed confidence that Nigerians would once again support the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in the 2027 general election.

“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,” he added.