During an appearance on Arise Tv on Thursday, July 16th 2026, an chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Farouk Aliyu, says the controversy surrounding the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket is largely a reflection of Nigeria’s changing social and political realities, insisting that the Tinubu administration has governed without religious bias.
Speaking during a televised interview, Aliyu compared the current debate to the 1993 presidential election, when the late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe contested on a Muslim-Muslim ticket with far less public opposition.
According to him, the country’s experiences over the years have significantly altered public perception of religious issues.
“The circumstances today are very different from the era of MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe. Since then, Nigeria has experienced religious intolerance, violence, and conflicts that have deepened divisions among citizens. That explains why discussions about a Muslim-Muslim ticket generate stronger emotions today,” he said.
Aliyu, however, argued that fears expressed by many Christians when President Bola Tinubu unveiled the same-faith ticket ahead of the 2023 election have not materialized.
“When President Tinubu introduced the ticket in 2023, many Christians feared the country would become Islamized, but that did not happen. Our government has not governed on the basis of religion. It belongs to every Nigerian regardless of faith, and there has been no official policy of religious intolerance,” he stated.
The APC stalwart commended Christian communities for what he described as their willingness to judge the administration by its actions rather than initial fears.
“We appreciate Nigerian Christians for recognizing this reality,” he added.
Aliyu further defended the party’s decision to retain the same ticket ahead of the 2027 election, saying political parties are free to adopt strategies they believe will secure victory at the polls.
“Every political party has the right to determine its electoral strategy. While other parties have chosen Muslim-Christian combinations, we believe the Muslim-Muslim ticket worked before and can work again,” he said…See_More
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