A northern Muslim advocacy group has called on President Bola Tinubu to consider choosing a northern Christian as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.

The group, Concerned Northern Muslim Ummah, made the call in a press statement issued on Sunday by its convener, Bala Duguri.

It said the appeal followed wide consultations across northern states with various Islamic organisations, aimed at forging a unified political direction ahead of 2027.

Duguri noted that the group?s decision stems from its support for President Tinubu?s Renewed Hope Agenda, which he described as yielding ?positive results toward a greater Nigeria.?

?Our group has undertaken wider consultations across the northern states with different Islamic organisations in a bid to speak with one voice over the political direction in the APC-led administration. The outcome is very encouraging,? Duguri said.

He emphasised that, based on their findings, there was a growing consensus that political equity and fairness demanded a religious balance in the 2027 ticket.

?We have carefully considered the present situation of our country, coupled with deep concern for the well-being of our people, in the spirit of fairness, equity, and justice,? he said.

The group acknowledged the success of the Muslim-Muslim ticket during the 2023 elections, attributing it partly to the support of the Christian community, and called for that gesture to be reciprocated.

?The sacrifices made by our fellow Christian brothers and sisters in the 2023 presidential elections, in the spirit of unity and national progress, need to be acknowledged. It?s time for Muslim political actors to make similar sacrifices,? Duguri added.

The statement appealed to potential Muslim vice-presidential aspirants within the APC to step aside and support the nomination of a Christian running mate in 2027.

?As a Muslim organisation, we use this opportunity to call on all potential Muslim nominees for the vice presidential slot to make the necessary sacrifice by dropping their ambitions for the good of the country.?

The group also urged President Tinubu, the APC National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee, the Board of Trustees, the Progressive Governors Forum, and other stakeholders to consider its appeal in the spirit of unity, equity, and justice.

Duguri stressed that the recommendation was not merely political but rooted in a genuine concern for national cohesion, democratic stability, and the continued success of Tinubu?s administration.

?After extensive consultations across religious, ethnic, and political lines in the North, we believe the most appropriate step forward is for a Northern Christian to be selected as the Vice Presidential candidate in 2027,? he said.

The group pledged to continue engagement with major religious and traditional institutions, including the NSCIA, JIBWIS, CAN, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, JNI, and the Northern Traditional Institution, to lobby for support for their position.

?This move will not only stabilise our democracy but also improve the electoral chances of President Tinubu, who, with this adjustment, will surely win by a landslide,? the group stated.

However, its call is in sharp contrast to that of Borno State APC stakeholders who have called on President Tinubu to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima, a Muslim from Borno State, as his running mate.

The Borno APC made the call in April in a communiqu? issued following a critical stakeholders meeting held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Government House, Maiduguri.

?The meeting prayed for Mr. President to retain His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima as his Vice President for his second term,? the communiqu? read in part. (The PUNCH)

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