By Lawrence Agbo
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has expressed confidence that Nigerians will once again support the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2027 general election, following President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Speaking on ARISE Television’s The Morning Show, Aliyu said the concerns that greeted the APC’s same-faith ticket ahead of the 2023 election had been dispelled by the Tinubu administration’s record in office.
“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.
According to him, fears that Christians would be marginalised have not materialised under the current administration.
“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.
He argued that President Tinubu has governed without religious bias, insisting that the administration has demonstrated inclusiveness since assuming office. Aliyu added that many Christians are now more comfortable with the Muslim-Muslim ticket than they were before the last election.
“President Tinubu has been leading this country as a Nigerian, not anybody with any religious toga.”
The APC stalwart also defended the decision to retain Shettima, saying changing a winning ticket could have created unnecessary political complications for the party.
He maintained that keeping the ticket intact reflects the confidence of the party’s leadership in its performance.
“We are very happy that the ticket has not been tinkered with,” he said.
Aliyu said the APC believes its record in government will earn it another mandate in 2027, expressing optimism that Nigerians will again endorse the Tinubu-Shettima ticket at the polls.
“We hope Nigerians will believe in us and give us a chance again with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” Aliyu added.
(The Sun)