Nentawe Yilwatda Says Most Christians He Consulted Accept Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim Ticket

Nentawe Yilwatda says Christians consulted by the All Progressives Congress are largely comfortable with President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima running on a Muslim-Muslim ticket again in 2027. The APC national chairman made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, according to the report. Yilwatda said Christians had initially worried that the pairing might leave their concerns unheard or marginalise them. But, he argued, those fears had not come to pass and Christians’ voices were being heard within the administration. “Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said. He also rejected suggestions that Tinubu’s religion had led to discrimination against or persecution of Christians during his three years in office. Asked about the president’s health and potential fitness to seek re-election, Yilwatda maintained that Tinubu was physically capable of contesting in 2027. The APC chairman defended Tinubu’s absence from some campaign rallies, saying presidential duties would make it impossible for him to attend every party event. He said some government officials had been advised to appear at selected rallies so campaigning would not interfere with governance. Yilwatda also denied that the APC was behind the leadership dispute in the African Democratic Congress. He questioned why the opposition party blamed the ruling party for a conflict linked to a legal case brought by one of its own members, following a Federal High Court judgment that invalidated the David Mark-led leadership. Looking ahead to the election, Yilwatda expressed confidence Tinubu would beat former vice president Atiku Abubakar in a free and fair contest. He argued that Atiku’s 2023 showing owed more to the Peoples Democratic Party’s structure than to his personal popularity. Yilwatda also defended Nyesom Wike’s proposed ₦10 million reward for councils that deliver their wards for Tinubu, saying it did not amount to vote buying.