AfriqueCAN:
THE Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress – NDC, for the 2027 election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, believes the Muslim-Muslim ticket issue will remain a major factor in the next election.
Kwankwaso said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, that he was surprised that President Bola Tinubu opted to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima for the next presidential election despite the controversy that trailed the arrangement in 2023.
“If you look at Lagos, he has always balanced it; even in his home, the ticket is balanced. I don’t know why the ticket in Nigeria is not balanced. But he still has time from now till the time of substitution to have a balanced ticket,” the former Kano State Governor said.
Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu, a Muslim, selected former Borno State governor Kashim Shettima, also a Muslim, as his running mate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The decision sparked widespread debate, with many Nigerians arguing that it undermined the religious balance needed in a country with almost equal numbers of Muslims and Christians.
Although Tinubu went on to win the election, the controversy surrounding the same-faith ticket has persisted, particularly after the President recently announced that he would retain Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election.
