A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Farouk Aliyu, has said the North would certain not support a Christian-Christian presidential ticket, warning that it would be perceived as completely sidelining the Muslim-dominated region.
Aliyu spoke on Friday during an interview on The Morning Show, a breakfast programme on Arise Television, while reacting to debates on whether the ruling party should retain or alter the Muslim-Muslim ticket that produced President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in 2023.
Leading with the demographic reality of the North, the APC stalwart said the party would ultimately rely on electoral numbers when deciding the composition of its ticket.
“In my opinion, the numbers will be looked at whether to field a Muslim or a Christian, the numbers are there to show,” Aliyu said.
“Whether in the northern part of the country there are more Muslims, it is absolutely without doubt that there are more Muslims. So any party can decide to field a Christian, but if it goes in terms of numbers, certainly there are more Muslims in the North, which is the best for the party to take a Muslim.”
He cautioned that replacing a Muslim candidate with a Christian in the North could create electoral difficulties for the ruling party.
“Certainly, if you drop a Muslim for a Christian in the North, you’ll have a problem,” he said.
Aliyu also argued that the controversies that greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023 had largely faded, insisting that Christians are not being marginalised under the Tinubu administration.
“This government has got nothing to show on the ground that it’s favouring the Muslims over Christians,” he said.
“So, I think the Muslim-Muslim ticket can still fly with the APC,” he added.
Responding to questions on whether the North would support a Christian-Christian presidential ticket, the APC chieftain ruled out such a possibility.
“Based on the North I know, the North will not be comfortable with a Christian-Christian ticket because if you do that you’re completely alienating the Muslims in the North,” Aliyu said.
His comments followed recent remarks by the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that dropping Vice-President Kashim Shettima from the party’s 2027 ticket could be politically damaging to the APC.
