Dare Babalola
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, has expressed concerns that a Christian-Christian presidential ticket would likely alienate Muslim voters in the North, saying the region wouldn’t be comfortable with such a combination.
Aliyu spoke on ARISE Television on Friday, weighing in on debates about the ruling party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket that produced President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in 2023.
The APC stalwart, leading with the North’s demographic reality, said electoral numbers would ultimately sway the party’s decision on its ticket composition.
Aliyu said, “In my opinion, the numbers will be looked at whether to field a Muslim or a Christian, the numbers are there to show.
“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.
