Rabiu Kwankwaso, the running mate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has thrown a sharp retort at President Bola Tinubu over the controversial push for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027. The former Kano governor quipped that Tinubu already practices a Muslim-Christian balance in his own marriage, pointing to the First Lady, Remi, as the other half of that equation.
The jab came in response to influential Islamic cleric Sani Jingir, who has been rallying Nigerian Muslims to back the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket in the next election, just as he did in 2023. Speaking in Kano, Jingir stood firm on his stance, declaring, “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. 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?”
But Kwankwaso, in an interview with DCL Hausa, turned the conversation on its head. He painted Tinubu as a man who has long championed religious balance in public life, even if his own party now seems to lean the other way. “I know His Excellency Bola Tinubu is a man who values balance and fairness,” Kwankwaso said. “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. Even in his own home, he practices a Muslim/Christian ticket ‘in the other room’—that is, Tinubu and Remi.”
The remark, delivered with a mix of wit and political edge, underscores the simmering tension over religious identity in Nigerian politics. While Jingir frames the Muslim-Muslim ticket as a matter of faith, Kwankwaso suggests that Tinubu’s own track record tells a different story—one of pragmatism and inclusion, at least when it suits him.
As the 2027 election cycle begins to heat up, this exchange highlights a deeper question: can Nigeria’s political leaders truly balance faith and governance, or is the ticket just another tool for power? For now, Kwankwaso’s pointed commentary leaves the ball firmly in Tinubu’s court.
