A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Hon Jonathan Vatsa, has described the decision by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election as “a direct insult” to the Christian community in Nigeria and a politically costly miscalculation.
He therefore warned Tinubu against the decision, stressing that unlike in 2023, Christians would reject another Muslim-Muslim ticket at the polls in 2027.
While describing the APC’s decision as unacceptable and a grievous mistake with consequences, Vatsa said that it could have serious electoral consequences for President Tinubu except if the President has a different plan towards winning the election apart from the normal balloting.
Vatsa, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger State, who stated these while reacting to the unveiling of Vice President Shettima as President Tinubu’s running mate, noted that the circumstances that led to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 election no longer exist.
Vatsa in a statement in Minna on Saturday, stressed that repeating the 2023 arrangement in 2027 would clearly alienate Christian voters, saying; “I think, this is a grievous mistake by the APC to have allowed this. It is highly insensitive”.
He said that whoever advised President Tinubu and the APC to retain the same ticket did not mean well for either the President or the ruling APC.
In the words of Vatsa; “The situation in 2023 is different from what is on the ground right now. This decision has placed the party in a difficult position amid growing concerns over insecurity and allegations of the persecution of Christians in parts of the country”.
He emphasised that Christian voters would find it difficult to support the APC when rival political parties are fielding Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Christian tickets.
According to Vatsa; “Nobody can convince the Christian community in the country to vote for APC in 2027 where other political parties have Christians as their presidential and vice-presidential candidates. It will be a difficult sell.
“What do you expect us to tell the Christian community—to vote for another Muslim-Muslim ticket?” he asked.
He also said that he had recently appealed to the Governor Umar Mohammed Bago of Niger State to consider choosing a Christian running mate in 2027, stressing that inclusiveness was essential for national unity.
Drawing a biblical analogy, he said Christians had become “the stone the builder rejected,” thus warned that the nation’s political structure could not stand without their inclusion.
Vatsa noted that many Christians already feel insecure and would be more comfortable with a Christian occupying the office of vice president.
“The international community is closely monitoring Nigeria’s political developments and the treatment of Christians ahead of the 2027 elections”.
Vatsa explained that while he had no personal objection to Vice President Shettima or the Muslim community, he however, stressed that his intervention was motivated by the need to promote equity, justice and fairness in Nigeria’s political arrangements.
