Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has expressed confidence that Nigeria will one day elect a president and vice-president on a Christian-Christian ticket, insisting that the country’s Constitution does not require religious balancing in presidential tickets or political appointments.
Sule made the remarks on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today while responding to criticism by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over issues of political representation.
Dismissing the criticism, the governor said it was expected from an opposition politician. “I think it is normal for Senator Kwankwaso, whom I respect a lot, to say that because he’s opposition. He cannot say anything good. It is expected of him to say that,” he said.
Sule argued that the 1999 Constitution promotes inclusiveness and federal character but contains no provision requiring religious balancing. “There is no place where it talks about religion. Section 14 didn’t talk about religion. Section 15 did not talk about religion,” he stated.
The governor cited the victories of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima in 2023, as well as the late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 1993 presidential election, as evidence that Nigerians vote beyond religious considerations.
“You can see both elections have been clear that the Muslim-Muslim ticket has won. I pray that one day Nigeria will have a Christian-Christian ticket, and it will win; that’s what I pray to see,” Sule said.
He, however, maintained that his decision to retain Emmanuel Akabe, a Christian, as deputy governor was based on competence rather than religion.
“I have always had a Christian as a deputy, Emmanuel Akabe. We thought it was important because Emmanuel Akabe is competent and our state is different from Nigeria,” he said.
Sule added that political realities differ across states, noting that states such as Enugu and Bayelsa already operate Christian-Christian leadership without generating controversy.
