The Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum has encouraged President Bola Tinubu to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima and avoid running on the Muslim-Muslim ticket again in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that inclusivity is critical to Nigeria’s unity.
Dominic Alancha, the group’s head, said in a statement on Tuesday that balanced representation was the best way to create national cohesiveness.
Despite tremendous opposition during the 2023 campaign, Tinubu, then the APC presidential candidate, chose former Borno State governor Shettima as his running mate. The couple went on to win the election under the APC banner.
Despite predictions that Tinubu may not keep Shettima in 2027, the Presidency has stated that the President would make his decision at the proper time.
Analysts feel that Abdullahi Ganduje’s recent replacement as APC National Chairman by Netanwe Yilwatda may indicate that the party intends to run on the Muslim-Muslim ticket again.
However, the NENF warned that such a move might cost the APC important Middle Belt battleground states such as Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, and the FCT, as well as sections of Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno, Gombe, and Bauchi.
“The Northern Ethnic Nationality Forum, representing the marginalised ethnic nationalities of Northern Nigeria, issues a clarion call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC to abandon plans for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027. Our demand is rooted in the urgent need for national cohesion, electoral viability, and justice for Nigeria’s diverse religious and ethnic communities,” the statement read.
The group claimed that the 2023 Muslim-Muslim ticket exacerbated religious tensions, alienated millions of Christians, and fuelled worries of Islamisation.
It referenced the Christian Association of Nigeria’s warning that such an approach might embolden non-state forces and jeopardise national unity.
According to the NENF, more than 80% of northern Christians rejected the APC in 2023, costing the party Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, and the FCT, while several prominent Christian lawmakers defected in protest.
The group also noted that Tinubu received only 36% of the vote in the North, despite the region’s Muslim majority—a sign of the ticket’s weakness.
“A repeat of the Muslim-Muslim ticket could see the APC lose Middle Belt states, where northern Christians command about 90 per cent of the votes. Even Muslim groups such as the Concerned Northern Muslim Ummah have warned that retaining the ticket might backfire.
“Peter Obi’s sweeping victories in Christian-dominated regions during the last election proved that exclusionary politics fuels opposition. A potential Obi–Atiku alliance could dismantle the APC’s support base,” it added.
The NENF reminded the APC that Nigeria’s founding fathers intentionally enshrined religious balance to prevent national polarisation, warning against recreating what it called the “dark memory” of the 1985 Buhari-led military dictatorship, the country’s only fully Muslim executive.
While appreciating Shettima’s skills, the group insisted that he cannot handle the issues raised by the 2023 ticket. It asked Tinubu to choose a northern Christian from Plateau, Bauchi, or Taraba as his running partner in 2027.
“We urge the President to make a public commitment to renounce the Muslim-Muslim ticket and restore national trust. Adopting a northern Christian vice president will broaden APC’s appeal, secure the North-Central and much of the Middle Belt, and raise the party’s vote share by up to 45 per cent in 2027.
This would follow the inclusive model adopted by Obasanjo and Buhari—balancing merit with national unity,” the statement concluded.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
