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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has said most Christians consulted by the ruling party are satisfied with the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda said the initial concerns among Christians that the arrangement would sideline them had not materialised, insisting that the Tinubu administration still represented their interests and voices.
The APC chairman stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* on Monday.
According to him, the party had engaged several Christians on the issue and received positive responses regarding the presidential ticket.
“Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.
“The thought and the fear of most Christians was that the Muslim-Muslim ticket may suppress their voices, but their voices are heard loud and clear now.”
He also dismissed concerns that the religious composition of the presidency had resulted in discrimination or persecution of Christians during Tinubu’s three years in office.
On the President’s health and his capacity to seek another term in 2027, Yilwatda maintained that Tinubu was physically capable of contesting the election.
He also defended the President’s absence from some political rallies, explaining that his constitutional responsibilities as head of state would not permit him to attend every campaign event.
The APC chairman said some government officials had been advised to participate in selected rallies to prevent political activities from affecting governance.
On the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Yilwatda denied allegations that the APC was responsible for the dispute following the Federal High Court judgment invalidating the David Mark-led leadership of the opposition party.
He questioned why the ADC was blaming the ruling party for an internal dispute arising from a legal action instituted by one of its members.
Yilwatda also expressed confidence in Tinubu’s chances against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that Atiku’s performance in the 2023 election was largely driven by the political structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“He did not win because of Atiku; he won because of the structure of the PDP. It was the PDP that brought Atiku, not Atiku winning on his own,” he said.
The APC chairman further defended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his proposed ₦10m reward for local government councils that deliver their wards for Tinubu in the 2027 election.
He argued that the proposed incentive should not be regarded as vote buying.
