2027: Most Christians we’ve engaged are okay with Muslim-Muslim ticket – Yilwatda

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says most Christians consulted by the party have expressed satisfaction with the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections. Yilwatda said Christians’ initial concerns that the arrangement could marginalise them had not materialised, insisting that their voices remained represented in the administration.

The APC chairman stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday. “Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said. “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 also dismissed concerns that Tinubu’s religion had exposed Christians to discrimination or persecution during his three years in office.

On questions surrounding the President’s health and fitness to contest the 2027 election, Yilwatda maintained that Tinubu was physically capable of seeking re-election. He also defended the President’s decision not to attend every campaign rally, arguing that his constitutional responsibilities would not allow him to participate in all party engagements.

According to him, some government officials have been advised to attend selected rallies to ensure that governance is not affected by campaign activities. On the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Yilwatda denied allegations that the APC was behind the party’s internal dispute following the Federal High Court judgment invalidating the David Mark-led leadership.

He questioned the opposition party’s decision to blame the ruling party over a dispute arising from a legal action instituted by one of its members. The APC chairman further expressed confidence that Tinubu would defeat former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in a free and fair election. He attributed Atiku’s performance in the 2023 presidential election largely to the political structure of the Peoples Democratic Party rather than his personal popularity.

“He did not win because of Atiku; he won because of the structure of the PDP. It was the PDP that brought Atiku, not Atiku winning on his own,” Yilwatda said. He also defended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s proposed ₦10m reward for councils that deliver their wards for Tinubu in 2027, arguing that the incentive did not constitute vote buying.