The All Progressives Congress sparked fierce debate when Bola Ahmed Tinubu picked Kashim Shettima, a former Borno State governor, as his running mate for the 2023 election. Both men are Muslims, breaking Nigeria's tradition of balancing presidential tickets across religious divides.
The Christian Association of Nigeria, the Middle Belt Forum and various Christian leaders immediately condemned the choice. They argued it marginalised Christians despite the country's religious diversity and ignored the principle of inclusive representation.
Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, emerged as one of the loudest voices against the ticket. Speaking at the APC Northern Christian Leaders Summit in July 2022, he vowed resistance on two fronts.
"Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously and economically suppress and oppress Northern Christians. But we are up to the task.
We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023," Lawal declared.
He dismissed claims that competence guided the selection of Shettima. Instead, Lawal insisted the APC had pursued a deliberate political strategy rooted in exclusion.
"The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for the APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim vice-presidential candidate is balderdash and diversionary.
This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented," he said.
Lawal pressed the APC for dialogue with aggrieved Christian communities. "Why is the APC itself mute about our rejection of this Muslim-Muslim ticket?
Why has none of the other perpetrators of this crisis reached out to Christians for dialogue? Truly, things are not adding up," he asked.
In his final warning, Lawal characterised the same-faith ticket as a threat to Nigeria's social fabric. He said Christians viewed it as "a deliberate and premeditated attempt to introduce and firmly entrench religion into the politics of this country," cautioning it could "lead to further disharmony in the hitherto fragile coexistence of Nigerian society, disrupt peace and hamper both social and economic development of the country."
Despite the backlash, Tinubu and Shettima won the election, making them the first Muslim-Muslim ticket to succeed since democracy returned in 1999. Nearly four years later, the controversy has resurfaced as President Tinubu confirmed Shettima would remain his running mate for 2027.
The response this time has been noticeably quieter than in 2022, though Christian leaders and groups in the Middle Belt and Northern Nigeria continue to voice concerns. Political analysts suggest Nigerians now focus more on the administration's performance on economic policy, security and governance rather than religious symbolism.
Still, questions about religious balance and inclusivity remain part of wider 2027 discussions.
