Nasarawa Governor Hopes for All-Christian Presidential Ticket in Nigeria

The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has shared his wish for Nigeria to have an all-Christian presidential ticket one day.

He believes that such a ticket would win elections.

Sule spoke on Tuesday during a chat on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He reacted to comments made by the Nigeria Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, about the chance of another same-faith presidential ticket in 2027.

The governor rejected claims that the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket represents religious exclusion.

He stated that Nigeria is actually due for a Christian-Christian ticket to see if it can achieve the same success that Muslim-Muslim tickets have had in the past.

“I pray that one day Nigeria will have a Christian-Christian ticket, and it will win. That’s what I pray to see,” Sule said.

He reminded listeners that Nigeria had seen a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket with the late Chief Moshood Abiola in the 1993 election. He mentioned that these tickets have gone on to win elections.

“You can see both elections have been clear that the Muslim-Muslim ticket has won,” he said.

Sule noted that it was normal for Kwankwaso, as an opposition member, to express concerns about the APC’s ticket arrangement.

He pointed out that no governor in the APC has made similar complaints about it.

“I think it is normal for Senator Kwankwaso, who I respect a lot, to say that because he’s opposition. He cannot say anything good in that manner. So when he said that, it is expected of him to say that.

“I don’t think he will tell me today that another governor within the APC is going to tell you he’s awful. Another governor is going to tell you he’s an albatross,” he said.

The governor referred to Section 14(3) of the constitution, which he said promotes inclusiveness and representation across Nigeria. He also mentioned Section 15, which talks about federal character based on ethnicity.

“It all actually happens in Section 14(3) of the constitution, where it’s talking about making sure that there is inclusiveness, there is representation, and all parts of the country, none of them is neglected, none of them is not carried along.

“That’s where federal character came in, following Section 15 of the same constitution that also talks about ethnicity. There is no place where it talks about religion. Section 14 didn’t talk about religion. Section 15 didn’t talk about religion,” he said.

When asked if he has a Christian as his deputy, Sule confirmed this. He noted that his deputy, Emmanuel Akabe, has held the position throughout his time in office in Nasarawa State.

“I’ve always had a Christian as a deputy. In Nasarawa State, it has always been a Christian,” he said.

When pressed on why it matters to have a Christian deputy, Sule replied that the choice was based on competence and not religious balance. He added that political setups differ from state to state depending on local conditions.

“No, no, no, we thought it was important because Emmanuel Akabe is competent. Our state is different from Nigeria. You cannot take a particular state.

“Take Enugu, for instance, it has a Christian-Christian arrangement. Take Bayelsa, it’s Christian-Christian,” he said.