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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has said most Christians consulted by the party are comfortable with the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda said the initial concerns among Christians that the same-faith arrangement could undermine their representation in government had not materialised, insisting that Christians continued to have a strong voice in the Tinubu administration.
The APC chairman made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, where he defended the party’s decision to retain the Muslim-Muslim ticket for the next presidential election.
“Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.
He explained that the major concern expressed by Christians when the arrangement was introduced was the possibility of religious exclusion, but argued that developments under the current administration had addressed those fears.
“The thought and the fear of most Christians was that the Muslim-Muslim ticket may suppress their voices, but their voices are heard loud and clear now,” he added.
Yilwatda also dismissed suggestions that Christians had faced discrimination or persecution under Tinubu’s administration because the President and Vice-President belong to the same faith.
On concerns about Tinubu’s health and physical capacity to seek re-election in 2027, the APC chairman maintained that the President was fit to contest another presidential election.
He also defended Tinubu’s absence from some party campaign rallies, explaining that the President’s constitutional responsibilities and demands of governance would not permit him to attend every political engagement.
According to him, some government officials had been directed to represent the administration at selected campaign activities to ensure that governance was not disrupted by electioneering.
