Nigeria’s Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has cautioned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against altering its presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking on the Mic On Podcast, Musawa warned that ditching a Northern Muslim running mate could hurt the party’s chances in key regions.
This comes amid growing speculation that the APC may consider replacing Vice President Kashim Shettima with a Christian candidate from the North for the party’s 2027 ticket.
According to the minister, omitting a Hausa, Fulani or Kanuri Muslim from the presidential ticket could create “a hurdle” among voters in Northern states; a region she described as politically engaged and sophisticated.
She listed states including Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara and Sokoto as areas where voters closely scrutinise political arrangements.
Musawa stressed that electoral politics in the North is shaped by long-standing social and political structures, and decisions made without appreciating these dynamics could backfire for the APC.
“If there is no Hausa, Fulani or Kanuri Muslim on that ticket, it creates a hurdle. That is the reality of the way people think,” she said.
She dismissed suggestions that the party could easily reconfigure its ticket without consequences, describing such assumptions as a misreading of northern political sentiment.
Musawa’s comments come amid wider debate within the APC about whether to maintain the same-faith ticket seen in 2023 or shift to include religious and regional balance ahead of the next election.
