ABUJA – A prominent chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Jigawa State governorship candidate, Farouk Aliyu, has issued a blunt warning to the ruling party’s leadership, declaring that the North will “never accept” an all-Christian presidential ticket.
Speaking on the shifting political tides ahead of 2027, Aliyu asserted that any move by the APC to field two Christians on the same ticket would be viewed as a direct attempt to alienate the Muslim voting bloc in the North. He cautioned that such a strategy would not only be a “hard sell” but would trigger a decisive electoral revolt in the region.
“The North will not be comfortable with a Christian-Christian ticket,” Aliyu warned. “It is akin to telling the Muslim voters in the region that they do not matter in the political equation of this country.”
Religious Tensions Hit Boiling Point
Aliyu’s warning comes as the APC grapples with a deepening religious rift. This week, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) threatened to boycott the 2027 polls unless the current Christian INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, is removed.
The chieftain’s remarks also follow recent allegations by former presidential aide Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who claimed the North was “deceived” by the 2023 Muslim-Muslim ticket, only for Vice President Kashim Shettima to be allegedly marginalized. Aliyu’s stance reinforces the growing sentiment among Northern power brokers that the region’s religious identity must remain central to the APC’s power-sharing formula.
APC Hierarchy Keeps Mute
While Aliyu and other Northern voices ramp up the pressure, the APC National Working Committee has officially dismissed all 2027 ticket speculations as “premature.” The party maintains that its focus remains on delivering the President’s “Renewed Hope” agenda rather than debating a running mate for the next election.
However, Aliyu insisted that the party must begin “honest conversations” now to avoid a catastrophic collapse of its Northern support base. He noted that the religious balance maintained in 2023 was the only reason the party survived the last polls and warned against “experimenting” with a different formula in 2027.
Will the APC leadership issue a formal policy on religious balancing to douse the rising tension in the North?
