Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has expressed confidence that Nigeria will one day elect a president and vice‑president on a Christian–Christian ticket, saying the country’s Constitution does not require religious balancing in political appointments or electoral tickets.
Sule made the remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday while responding to criticism from Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice‑presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso over political representation. He dismissed the criticism as typical opposition rhetoric.
“The Constitution focuses on inclusiveness and federal character, not religion,” Sule said, noting that Sections 14(3) and 15 address equitable representation and ethnicity but make no provision for 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.”
Citing past elections, Sule pointed to the 2023 victory of President Bola Tinubu and Vice‑President Kashim Shettima and the 1993 MKO Abiola–Babagana Kingibe ticket as precedents of successful Muslim–Muslim tickets. “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,” he said.
Sule also defended his decision to retain Emmanuel Akabe, a Christian, as Nasarawa’s deputy governor, saying the appointment 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.
He added that political realities vary by state, citing Enugu and Bayelsa as examples where Christian–Christian leadership has operated without controversy.
