Muslim–Muslim ticket

The Muslim–Muslim ticket in Nigerian politics refers to the selection of both the presidential and vice-presidential candidates from the Islamic faith. The practice is connected to Nigeria's history of religious, regional, and ethnic balancing in executive politics. This theme has affected candidate selection since independence in 1960. Scholars note that constitutional provisions requiring both a plurality of votes and a broad geographic spread encourage religiously mixed tickets, yet same-faith pairings have appeared at certain points in Nigeria's political development. Documented instances of Muslim–Muslim tickets include the 1964 election in the Western Region and the 1993 Nigerian presidential election, when Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe, both Muslims, won a contest that was later annulled. More commonly, parties have combined candidates of different faiths, as with the National Party of Nigeria's 1979 ticket of Shehu Shagari, a northern Muslim, and Alex Ekwueme, a southern Christian. In recent decades, choices over ticket composition have always embodied efforts to balance regional appeal, religious considerations, and perceptions of inclusion.

The 2023 Nigerian presidential election, in which Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, both Muslims, won office for the All Progressives Congress, renewed debate on the implications of same-faith pairings. Analysts have described the ticket as a strategic decision to consolidate northern support, while surveys and interviews have recorded concerns that such arrangements could affect perceptions of inclusion and Nigeria's secular framework. Religious organisations also responded publicly, with Islamic groups expressing support and Christian bodies expressing opposition.

History

The idea of a Muslim–Muslim ticket has roots in Nigerian politics historically and is connected to regional and religious changes of the country. Nigeria's road to independence began during the colonial era, with the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914. This brought together regions with distinct religious majorities and had effect on later political developments.^[1]^[2] After independence in 1960, Nigeria experienced political instability, military coups, and ethnic conflict, culminating in the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970). During the First Republic of Nigeria (1963–1966), the Muslim–Muslim ticket appeared as a political strategy, including in the 1964 election in the Western Region.^[3]^[4]

Scholars have examined the use of Muslim–Muslim tickets within Nigeria's broader history of balancing religion, region, and ethnicity in executive politics.^[5]^[6] Constitutional provisions and electoral rules, which require both a plurality of votes and geographic spread for presidential victory, are generally viewed as encouraging parties to avoid presenting candidates from the same faith.^[5]

The 1979 presidential election featured the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) ticket of Shehu Shagari, a Muslim from the north, and Alex Ekwueme, a Christian from the south.^[7] The 1993 presidential election was notable for the candidacy of Moshood Abiola, a Muslim from the southwest, and his running mate Baba Gana Kingibe, also a Muslim. Their victory was annulled, leading to political unrest.^[8]^[9]

The 2023 election, in which Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, both Muslims, won office, renewed debate over religious representation in Nigerian politics.^[10] Analysts describe the All Progressives Congress's 2023 ticket as a strategic decision aimed at consolidating support in the north.^[11] Field interviews conducted by Saheed Owonikoko, a university academic, indicate that party actors presented the pairing as a way to counter a rival northern Muslim candidate and mobilise northern Muslim turnout for a southern Muslim presidential candidate.^[12] His ethnographic data records internal framings of the choice as intended to weaken competing Muslim candidates in the north.^[13]

Controversies and implications

The adoption of the Muslim–Muslim ticket in Nigerian politics has been the subject of debate,^[14] and is linked to questions of religious representation, regional balance, and electoral strategy.^[15] Studies have raised concerns that it may heighten religious sensitivities or perceptions of exclusion.^[16] Other research has examined the social consequences of same-faith tickets for national integration.^[17] A nationwide survey by Nandes Cinjel and Oboromeni Weinoh, university academics, found a statistically significant association between perceptions of the 2023 ticket and indicators of reduced cohesion, linking it to respondents' concerns about exclusion and unity.^[18] They also note that Nigeria's weakly defined secularism and visible state engagement with religion allow politicians to frame candidate selection as based on "credibility" rather than faith.^[19]

The issue also intersects with regional politics, as candidate selection is often influenced by the need to secure support from particular areas. For example, in the 2011 election, President Goodluck Jonathan's choice of Namadi Sambo as running mate was interpreted as an effort to appeal to northern constituencies and maintain regional balance.^[20] Religious organisations also responded publicly to the 2023 pairing. Reports indicate that Islamic clerics and Muslim groups held prayer gatherings in support of the ticket, while some Christian leaders described the election in explicitly religious terms.^[21]^[22] Christian organisations like the Christian Association of Nigeria and several church networks, opposed the ticket and characterised it as a potential instrument of exclusion.^[21]^[23]

"Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against; "elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets, "kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes, "in addition to ethnic violence fuelled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all."

Muhammadu Buhari, Sahara Reporters, 2017^[24]

Debates about the Muslim–Muslim ticket are often framed in terms of its impact on national unity. Nigeria's diversity makes representation a central issue, and repeated use of such tickets has been described as straining this balance.^[25] There have been legal disputes, such as those following the 2007 presidential election.^[26]^[27] In the run-up to the 2015 presidential election, the APC avoided fielding a Muslim–Muslim ticket by pairing Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim from the northwest, with Yemi Osinbajo, a Yoruba Christian from the southwest. Party strategists presented this choice as a way to appeal to Christian voters and counter perceptions that the APC was an Islamic party.^[28] Analysts note that these debates occurred within a contested framework of Nigerian secularity.^[29]