Kwankwaso Challenges Muslim-Muslim Ticket Push, Cites Tinubu-Remi Pairing

The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has responded to calls for another Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2027 presidential election, saying President Bola Tinubu already practises a “Muslim-Christian ticket with the First Lady in the other room.

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Kwankwaso made the remark while reacting sarcastically to comments by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Jingir, who urged Nigerian Muslims to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Muslim-Muslim ticket again in 2027.
What Jingir Said
Speaking in Kano, Jingir declared his readiness to support the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027, as he did during the 2023 election.
“I am one of those who raise the flag of Islam. I am calling on people to come and let us do Muslim-Muslim again,” Jingir said.
“I know this statement pains the unbelievers. I am a Muslim who preaches Islam. If I say Muslim-Muslim, what have I taken away from them?”
Kwankwaso’s Response
In an interview with DCL Hausa, Kwankwaso described Tinubu as a politician who values balance and fairness, citing his political record as Lagos State governor.
“I know His Excellency Bola Tinubu is a man who values balance and fairness. For all the governors he supported in Lagos, he ensured a Muslim/Christian or Christian/Muslim ticket. Even when he was the governor of Lagos, all his deputies were Christians,” Kwankwaso said.
He added: “Even in his own home, he practises a Muslim/Christian ticket ‘in the other room’ — Tinubu/Remi.”
The comment was a direct reference to First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, who is a Christian and a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Background
The Muslim-Muslim ticket fielded by the APC in 2023, with Tinubu as presidential candidate and Kashim Shettima as his running mate, generated nationwide debate.
Critics argued that the arrangement undermined religious balancing in Nigeria’s politics, while supporters defended the ticket on the grounds of competence. Clerics such as Jingir have continued to advocate for a repeat of the Muslim-Muslim pairing in 2027.
With political alignments already taking shape ahead of the next general election, the debate over religious balancing is expected to remain a major issue within the APC and opposition parties.