Nigeria's Tinubu Retains Muslim Running Mate Amid Muted Controversy for 2027 Election

Four years after a tumultuous political debate, President Bola Tinubu's decision to again select Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 Nigerian presidential election has been met with a surprisingly calm reception. This stands in stark contrast to the intense controversy that erupted in July 2022 when the same 'Muslim-Muslim' ticket was first announced for the 2023 election.

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Four years after fierce opposition from churches, civil society groups and even members of his own party, President Bola Tinubu’s decision to retain Vice-President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 election has attracted only muted criticism.

In 2023, the choice of a Muslim vice-presidential candidate alongside a Muslim presidential candidate ignited widespread outrage. Religious organizations, including the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, condemned the ticket as insensitive to Nigeria's religious diversity and a potential catalyst for further polarization. Civil society groups warned of deepening religious divisions, while opposition parties leveraged the issue to portray the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as exclusionary. Even within the APC, prominent figures like former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and former Speaker Yakubu Dogara, vocally opposed the ticket, with some even resigning from campaign roles.

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The Christian Association of Nigeria described the ticket as insensitive to the country’s religious diversity.

However, the announcement of Shettima as Tinubu's running mate for 2027 has generated minimal backlash. The expected nationwide protests, emergency meetings by Christian bodies, and significant party defections have not materialized. Beyond isolated social media comments and a few political statements, the decision has passed with remarkable quietude.

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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, described the ticket as “a disastrous error” and declared it “dead on arrival.”

Several factors likely contribute to this shift. Incumbency often grants a significant advantage, consolidating political power and potentially dampening opposition. Political realignments may have altered the landscape, diminishing the impact of religious considerations in favor of other priorities. Furthermore, public attention may have shifted towards other pressing issues, reducing the salience of the religious balance debate. While the underlying religious sensitivities in Nigeria remain, the political potency of the Muslim-Muslim ticket appears to have waned considerably, at least for now.

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However, four years later, that question appears to have lost much of its political potency.