Supporters of President Bola Tinubu have dismissed renewed criticism of the All Progressives Congress, APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket by former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa-Kwankwaso, insisting that Nigerians settled the debate during the 2023 presidential election.
The supporters said the issue no longer holds political relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that President Tinubu’s appointments and policies have demonstrated his commitment to inclusiveness regardless of religion or ethnicity.
The Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group, TSG, Dr Umar Tanko Yakasai, stated this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on the sidelines of a one-day conference on the North-Central region’s development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Mr Yakasai was reacting to recent comments by Kwankwaso, who reportedly maintained that the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket would remain a major issue in the 2027 presidential election.
According to Mr Yakasai, the outcome of the 2023 presidential election showed that Nigerians had moved beyond religious sentiments by electing Tinubu despite widespread opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“In the 2023 general election, many people thought the Muslim-Muslim ticket would stop Tinubu. He won,” he said.
He argued that the North Central, which has a significant Christian population, has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Tinubu administration through strategic appointments and infrastructure projects.
“INEC is headed by someone from the North Central, the APC National Chairman is from the North Central, key security institutions are headed by people from the North Central, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation is also from the zone,” he said.
Mr Yakasai added that the President had demonstrated that he governs all Nigerians without regard to religion or tribe.
“You cannot talk about religion without talking about the North Central because they constitute a significant proportion of Christians in Northern Nigeria. They have moved from marginalisation to integration and from exclusion to inclusion.
“Kwankwaso should know better. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proven that he is President for all Nigerians irrespective of tribe or religion. If he were President only for Muslims, Kwankwaso himself would not have accepted to serve as running mate to a Christian presidential candidate,” he said.
Mr Yakasai also rejected claims that the Tinubu administration favours the South-West in federal appointments, saying the President has ensured equitable representation across regions and religious groups.
As evidence, he cited the appointment of Dr Lilian Ene Ogbole as a commissioner in the National Wages Commission and what he described as the large number of federal appointees from Kano State.
“The President has spread his appointments across all tribes, all regions and all religions. It is the opposition that wants to shift attention from the successes of this administration to issues that have already been settled by Nigerians,” he added.
Mr Kwankwaso had recently argued that the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket remained a contentious issue and would continue to feature prominently in political discourse ahead of the 2027 elections.
