By Our Correspondent, Minna
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election, warning that Christians would reject another Muslim-Muslim ticket at the polls.
Reacting barely 24 hours after the President unveiled Shettima as his running mate, the former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism described the decision as “a direct insult” to Nigeria’s Christian community and a politically costly miscalculation.
In a statement issued in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa argued that the circumstances that led to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 election no longer exist, insisting that repeating the arrangement in 2027 would alienate Christian voters.
“I think this is a grievous mistake by the APC to have allowed this. It is highly insensitive,” he said.
According to him, whoever advised President Tinubu and the APC to retain the same ticket “did not mean well” for either the President or the ruling party.
“The situation in 2023 is different from what is on the ground right now,” Vatsa said, adding that the decision had placed the party in a difficult position amid growing concerns over insecurity and allegations of the persecution of Christians in parts of the country.
He maintained that Christian voters would find it difficult to support the APC when rival political parties are fielding Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Christian tickets.
“Nobody can convince the Christian community in the country to vote for APC in 2027 where other political parties have Christians as their presidential and vice-presidential candidates. It will be a difficult sell.
“What do you expect us to tell the Christian community—to vote for another Muslim-Muslim ticket?” he asked.
Vatsa recalled that he had recently appealed to Niger State Governor Umar Mohammed Bago to consider choosing a Christian running mate in 2027, saying inclusiveness was essential for national unity.
Drawing a biblical analogy, he said Christians had become “the stone the builder rejected,” warning that the nation’s political structure could not stand without their inclusion.
Describing the APC’s decision as unacceptable, he warned that it could have serious electoral consequences for President Tinubu.
“Except the President has a different plan towards winning the election apart from the normal balloting, this choice will have grievous consequences,” he said.
He argued that many Christians already feel insecure and would be more comfortable with a Christian occupying the office of vice president.
“The Christian community in the country are already feeling unsecured and will therefore be comfortable with a Christian Vice President in 2027. As things stand now, they will be more comfortable where they are protected,” he stated.
Vatsa also claimed that the international community was closely monitoring Nigeria’s political developments and the treatment of Christians ahead of the 2027 elections.
While stressing that he had no personal objection to Vice President Shettima or the Muslim community, he said his intervention was motivated by the need to promote “equity, justice and fairness” in Nigeria’s political arrangements.