Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC), the country’s ruling party, against dropping a Northern Muslim from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s expected re-election ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
Musawa spoke during a recent episode of Mic On Show, a current affairs programme hosted by Nigerian journalist Seun Okinbaloye, as debate continues over whether the APC might adjust the same-faith presidential ticket it used in the 2023 election, when Tinubu chose Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Okay News reports that Musawa believes removing Vice President Kashim Shettima, or replacing him with a running mate who is not a Northern Muslim, could weaken the party’s support in parts of Northern Nigeria, a region that often plays a decisive role in national elections because of its large voting population.
She argued that identity and regional balance still matter strongly in electoral politics across the core northern states, naming places such as Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara and Sokoto, all in northern Nigeria. According to her, voters in those states follow politics closely and can react sharply to decisions they see as ignoring long-standing political realities in the region.
Musawa also pushed back against the idea that the APC could easily reshape its ticket without consequences. She said people making such suggestions may be underestimating how political alliances and voting behaviour are formed in the North.
On opposition politics ahead of 2027, the minister said she does not currently see the existing opposition line-up defeating President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima. She described the opposition camp as divided, with multiple influential figures competing for the same leadership space, which she said could limit the ability of opposition parties to unite behind a single strong challenge.
Still, Musawa said the ruling party is not dismissing any political rival and is watching developments closely as campaigns and alliances begin to take shape. She added that a healthy opposition is important for democracy and that the APC expects competition, even as it focuses on strengthening its own support base before the next election.
