2027: APC’s Same-Faith Presidential Ticket Triggers Fresh Political Storm

The decision of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to go into the 2027 presidential election with a Muslim-Muslim ticket has reopened the debate that dominated the 2023 election.

Last week, President Tinubu renominated Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election, a decision that is again generating mixed feelings among Nigerians.

While the ruling party and their supporters see it as a political master-stroke that would guarantee stability and continuity, other Nigerians argue that in a multi-religious country like Nigeria, the same faith ticket is akin to discarding the feelings of the adherents of other faiths.

Before now, there had been uncertainty, views, opinions, intense debates and controversy over Shettima’s candidacy as vice president and the possibility of the ruling APC retaining the same faith ticket against the impression of many Nigerians, who opposed it before the 2023 election.

All of them have expressed their views on the development, including groups such as the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Northern Christian Elders’ Forum, NOSCEF, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and individuals.

Reacting to the development, the Senator representing Plateau Central, Diket Plang, lauded the decision, saying it was a demonstration of recognition of loyalty, stability, courage and continuity in governance.

He said he was happy that President Tinubu did not succumb to pressure from different quarters to change his running mate, adding that the decision would promote national unity and policy continuity.

I thank God that President Tinubu has remained steadfast and retained Shettima as his vice president.

“That’s the highest level of stability. I am proud of that decision because Shettima has been loyal, active, accessible and committed to the success of this administration,” he added.

He told Nigerians to be willing to make personal sacrifices in support of the Tinubu administration, insisting that his vision, courage, inclusiveness and commitment to infrastructure development deserved broad national backing.

Also, a retired military officer and professor of law, Major Bello M. Magaji, threw his weight behind the Muslim-Muslim ticket, describing it as a strategic and commendable decision.

It is my view that it, beyond political symbolism, reinforces continuity in governance, which is critical at this stage of Nigeria’s development.

“First, keeping the same ticket maintains institutional memory and continuity of policy. Key reforms in the economy, security and governance architecture have already been set in motion by the administration, and a change in leadership Configuration midway may disrupt the momentum and weaken the ongoing efforts.

In this sense, continuity offers stability and gives policies enough time to ripen and produce measurable outcomes.

“Also, the Tinubu–Shettima partnership has over the years developed a working synergy that is key to effective executive coordination. Trust, familiarity and a common strategic vision help enormously in the conduct of governance at the highest level; qualities that are not easily reconstructed in a new political pairing.

“Third, from the political management perspective, the decision conveys confidence and internal cohesion within the ruling structure. “It signals that performance, loyalty and alignment with the administration’s agenda are being rewarded, which can strengthen discipline and focus within the government,” he said in an interview.

But for a chieftain of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, APC’s decision to run on the same faith ticket is a lost opportunity to promote national inclusion and unity.

He said the reported reaffirmation of the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket was a political convenience, rather than national inclusion, adding that while the Nigerian Constitution does not prohibit such an arrangement, political leadership should be sensitive to the country’s religious and ethnic diversity.

In a statement, he said Nigeria’s current socio-economic and security challenges require leadership that promotes national cohesion and leadership that reassures all segments of the population that they are well represented in the government.

He said the APC could have sent a stronger message of unity by adopting a more religiously and regionally inclusive ticket for the 2027 general election.

“Nigeria’s strength is in its diversity. Our federation is based on mutual respect for people of different religions, ethnic backgrounds and regions. A leadership that consciously reflects this diversity will strengthen national confidence and reinforce the principle that no group should be excluded from the highest levels of governance,” he said.

However, he urged Nigerians not to focus on political symbolism or personalities as the country approaches the 2027 elections but to evaluate candidates based on their competence, track records, policy proposals and capacity to address the country’s pressing challenges.

He said the political discourse should be dominated by issues such as economic recovery, insecurity, unemployment, accountability and good governance as the country gears up for another electoral cycle.

He added that the NRM chieftain said that Nigeria deserves to be led by a leadership that can inspire confidence across religious, regional and ethnic lines, while governing fairly and promoting national development. Similarly, the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has expressed disappointment over the development, describing it as a continuation of a strategy that has failed to reflect Nigeria’s religious and regional diversity.

The forum’s national spokesperson, Luka Binniyat, said in a statement that the decision was another missed opportunity to recognize the strategic importance of the Middle Belt in the political landscape of Nigeria.

It stated that the reconfirmation of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket signifies the continuation of the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket that excludes even Muslims from the Middle Belt.

The forum, which claimed to have been formed in 1954 to protect the socio-political interests of over 300 ethnic nationalities in 14 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, argued that the region had continued to show goodwill and support for the Tinubu administration despite its predominantly Christian population.

“We believe this is another missed opportunity to recognise the strategic importance of the Middle Belt, a region that today gives Tinubu’s administration tremendous goodwill and support despite having a majority Christian population,” the statement read.

It said the President’s decision could be seen as a lack of appreciation for the political significance of the region, saying,

“By overlooking the Middle Belt once again, it would seem that the President does not value the region and its 60 per cent voting population of Northern Nigeria, in our move to produce the 2031 President,” he said.

The forum argued that Nigeria’s top political positions should mirror the country’s religious and cultural diversity.

“The MBF has always held that the Nigerian presidency should represent the nation’s religious and cultural diversity where the Muslims and Christians are not in a clear majority.

“Nigeria is a multi-religious nation, with Muslims, Christians and people of other faiths, so the highest offices of government should be about inclusion, fairness and national unity,” Binniyat said.

The forum said it had not taken a definitive political position for the 2027 election despite its criticism of the composition of the presidential ticket.

“But the Middle Belt Forum will not rush into taking a political position on the 2027 presidential election.

“Our position would be determined by the decisions of our Board of Trustees, BoT, and the National Working Committee (NWC), which would carefully consider which political party and candidate would best protect and promote the interests of the Middle Belt and the unity of Nigeria,” the group submitted.

The Northern Christian Elders Forum, NOSCEF, has also opposed the APC’s decision.

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Chairman of the christian group, Elder Sunday Oibe, said the proponents of Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket should tell Nigerians how far the current same faith ticket had gone to grow and develop Nigeria and her citizens since 2023.

He said “I don’t have much of a comment for now rather to wish them well. Nigerians should measure how well they had fared with the Muslim Muslim ticket of Tinubu/Shetima ticket.

“The question to the proponents of Muslim Muslim tickets should be ‘how market?’ Nigerians will speak at the appropriate time.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has not however officially taken a position on the development.

Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the national publicity secretary of the ACF, said the forum has only received reports of the development and has not met to deliberate on the matter.

He said the choice of a running mate is still left for President Tinubu and the APC, but the Forum would wait to see how the implications of the decision played out before making any formal pronouncement.

“The ACF has just been informed of the news of the reappointment of the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, as the running mate to President Bola Tinubu and has not yet discussed and taken a definite position on the matter.

“The Forum simply wants to state that the decision is that of the President and the APC for now. The ACF will observe the repercussions of the decision,” Muhammad-Baba said.

He said rather than the concerns about the Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidency, the more important issue should be whether any combination of candidates delivers good governance and addresses the country’s challenges.

Ultimately, he said, it’s the electorate that will decide which ticket to support at the polls.

But ACF’s former scribe, Mr. Anthony Sani is of the opinion that Tinubu cannot be faulted if he sees Muslim-Muslim ticket as his winning game plan for the ruling party.

He also said: “If the move, to some people, is not a winning game plan, they are free to nullify it with their superior game plan.

“After all we are in a multiparty democracy which permits political parties to formulate their own strategies. Democracy at work, as they say,” he said in an interview.

Some analysts say that while the Muslim-Muslim ticket remains a subject of debate, it is also important to assess leadership on the basis of competence, delivery and national impact.

For APC supporters, Shettima’s re-appointment as a vice presidential candidate is more about maintaining direction, consolidating gains and ensuring that the administration’s long-term objectives are not derailed.