A Northern Christian advocacy group has reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s confirmation of Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election, weighing in on the religious and regional dynamics of the ticket.
The group’s response comes as the All Progressives Congress moves to formally upload the Tinubu Shettima ticket to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s portal, cementing the pairing that has anchored the administration since 2023.
A separate advocacy group, the Middle Belt Progressives Alliance, has also endorsed the Tinubu Shettima ticket, urging Nigerians to judge the administration based on its record on infrastructure and security rather than religious considerations.
The reactions reflect the continued sensitivity around religious balance on presidential tickets in Nigeria, where the pairing of a Muslim president and Muslim vice president in 2023 drew criticism from some Christian groups concerned about equitable representation at the federal level.
Supporters of the ticket argue that governance performance, rather than the religious identity of the president and vice president, should be the primary basis for evaluating the administration ahead of the 2027 polls.
The debate is expected to continue as other parties finalise their own tickets in the coming months, with religious and regional balance likely to remain a recurring theme across the 2027 campaign season.
