First Lady Remi Tinubu has defended President Bola Tinubu’s controversial Muslim Muslim presidential ticket, saying it was a political strategy to win the election because Muslims have the numbers, a position that contrasts with her earlier claim that the same faith ticket would eventually pave the way for a Christian Christian presidential ticket.
During the 2023 election campaign, Mrs Tinubu had sought to reassure Christians over the All Progressives Congress decision to field a Muslim Muslim ticket by saying it would set the stage for an all Christian ticket in the future.
Speaking at the APC South West Women’s Presidential Rally in Lagos on December 7, 2022, she said, “As regards the Muslim Muslim ticket, this one will set the tone for the future. Sometime in the future, we will have a Christian Christian ticket. What God has done in our land is marvellous.”
Her remarks came at a time when President Bola Tinubu’s choice of former Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima as his running mate had generated widespread criticism from Christian groups, religious leaders and some members of the APC, who argued that the same faith ticket failed to reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.
The decision also led to the defection of former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara to the Peoples Democratic Party, while former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal and other Christian stakeholders within the APC openly opposed the ticket.
However, speaking during a recent visit to the United States, Mrs Tinubu offered a different explanation for the decision, describing it as a political calculation rather than a religious agenda.
Mrs Tinubu, who is also a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, said the Muslim Muslim ticket was necessary because Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria, making it difficult for a southern presidential candidate to choose a Christian running mate and still win the election.
In an interview with The Free Press, she said, “Let’s face it, the Muslims are more than us. If a southerner wants to run for president, politics is a game of numbers. You have to pick another Muslim. You can’t pick a Christian.”
She also stressed that despite being a Christian, she ensures that both Christians and Muslims are treated fairly in the Presidential Villa.
“I’m a Christian in the presidential villa. I take care of the interests of Christians, and I also take care of Muslims. That is what life should be. We have to respect everybody, irrespective of religion,” she said.
The First Lady explained that one of the reasons for her visit to the United States, where she attended the National Prayer Breakfast, was to counter claims of widespread persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
According to her, the trip was intended to “make some clarifications about recent hype on social media that there is Christian genocide.”
She argued that the campaign alleging Christian genocide gained momentum after the Tinubu administration began pulling the country out of economic challenges marked by soaring food prices, a weakening naira and widespread hardship.
In a separate interview with The Hill, Mrs Tinubu described international concerns over the persecution of Christians in Nigeria as “propaganda.”
While rejecting claims of Christian genocide, she called for increased United States military action against terrorists and bandits operating in northern Nigeria. She also praised the Christmas Day military strikes ordered by President Donald Trump, describing them as “a blessing” for Nigeria.
Mrs Tinubu maintained that Nigerians of all faiths must continue to live together peacefully, saying mutual respect and religious tolerance remain essential for national unity.
