A northern Islamic group has advised President Bola Tinubu to consider choosing a northerner of Christian extraction as his running mate in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election.
The group known as Concerned Northern Muslim Ummah, made the call in a press statement on Sunday and signed by its convener, Bala Duguri.
Duguri said the advise followed wide consultations across northern states with various Islamic organisations.
Duguri said: “Our group has undertaken wider consultations across the northern states with different Islamic organisations in a bid to speak with one voice over the political direction in the APC-led administration. The outcome is very encouraging.”
He said based on their findings, there was a growing consensus that political equity and fairness demanded a religious balance in the 2027 ticket.
“We have carefully considered the present situation of our country, coupled with deep concern for the well-being of our people, in the spirit of fairness, equity, and justice,” he said.
The group acknowledged the success of the Muslim-Muslim ticket during the 2023 elections, attributing it partly to the support of the Christian community, and called for the gesture to be reciprocated.
“The sacrifices made by our fellow Christian brothers and sisters in the 2023 presidential elections, in the spirit of unity and national progress, need to be acknowledged. It’s time for Muslim political actors to make similar sacrifices,” Duguri added.
The sstatement further appealed to potential Muslim vice-presidential aspirants within the APC to step aside and support the nomination of a Christian running mate in 2027.
“As a Muslim organisation, we use this opportunity to call on all potential Muslim nominees for the vice presidential slot to make the necessary sacrifice by dropping their ambitions for the good of the country,” the statement added.
The group also urged President Tinubu, and all APC stakeholders to consider its advise in the spirit of unity, equity, and justice.
Duguri said the group’s advise is rooted in genuine concern for national cohesion, democratic stability, and the continued success of Tinubu’s government.
“After extensive consultations across religious, ethnic, and political lines in the North, we believe the most appropriate step forward is for a Northern Christian to be selected as the Vice Presidential candidate in 2027,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, ran as a running mate to Tinubu in the 2023 polls.
Before now, there have been rumours that Shettima, a former governor of Borno State could be dropped by Tinubu.
