ABUJA — The Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum (NENF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to abandon the idea of retaining Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that a repeat of the Muslim-Muslim ticket would endanger Nigeria’s fragile unity and electoral balance.
In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, NENF leader Dominic Alancha said inclusivity is key to national cohesion and urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure religious balance on its presidential ticket.
“The Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum, representing the marginalised ethnic nationalities of Northern Nigeria, issues a clarion call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC to abandon plans for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027. Our demand is rooted in the urgent need for national cohesion, electoral viability, and justice for Nigeria’s diverse religious and ethnic communities,” the statement read.
Tinubu and Shettima, both Muslims, weathered strong criticism during the 2023 campaign to emerge victorious under the APC. However, the NENF maintained that the ticket deepened religious tension, alienated millions of Christians, and contributed to APC’s losses in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory.
The group warned that persisting with the formula in 2027 could cost the party critical battleground states across the Middle Belt and parts of Northern Nigeria. It also cited the Christian Association of Nigeria’s warning that exclusionary politics could embolden non-state actors threatening national unity.
According to the forum, over 80 per cent of northern Christians rejected the APC in 2023, while Tinubu secured just 36 per cent of the northern vote despite the region’s Muslim majority — a sign, it argued, of the ticket’s weakness.
“A repeat of the Muslim-Muslim ticket could see the APC lose Middle Belt states, where northern Christians command about 90 per cent of the votes,” NENF cautioned, noting that even some Muslim groups have expressed concerns.
While acknowledging Vice President Shettima’s competence, the forum said he cannot repair the religious grievances stirred by the current administration’s ticket. It instead urged Tinubu to consider a northern Christian from Plateau, Bauchi, or Taraba as running mate to restore national trust.
“We urge the President to make a public commitment to renounce the Muslim-Muslim ticket and restore national trust. Adopting a northern Christian vice president will broaden APC’s appeal, secure the North-Central and much of the Middle Belt, and raise the party’s vote share by up to 45 per cent in 2027,” the statement added.
Analysts say the recent replacement of Abdullahi Ganduje with Netanwe Yilwatda as APC National Chairman has fueled speculation that the ruling party may be tilting towards repeating the Muslim-Muslim formula. However, the Presidency has maintained that Tinubu will announce his running mate at the appropriate time.
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