Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has warned that any move to drop Vice-President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 presidential election could negatively affect the fortunes of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Musawa made the remarks in an interview on MIC ON, a podcast hosted by journalist, Seun Okinbaloye, amid speculations that the ruling party was considering replacing Shettima with a Christian running mate for President Bola Tinubu in 2027. She cautioned that altering the religious and regional balance of the current ticket could pose serious electoral risks for the APC.
According to her, the absence of a northern Muslim on the presidential ticket could trigger resistance among voters in the region.
“If we toy with changing the construct of what we have now, it is a problem. If there is no Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri Muslim on that ticket, it creates a hurdle. That’s the reality of the way the people think,” Musawa said.
She argued that such debates reflected a misunderstanding of northern political dynamics, describing politics in the region as deeply rooted in identity and civic engagement. Musawa said the north plays a decisive role in Nigeria’s political calculations due to what she described as its long-standing political awareness and participation.
“I come from a very rural area in Katsina State. All my family and all the people that I know that have never been to school, have a radio. They will tell you about the Russian Revolution. BBC Hausa did what it was supposed to do,” she said.
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“When it comes to politics, the northern area really thrives on it. That is the one thing they feel they really have a lot of control over and power. So when you don’t understand politics in the way that they do, you come at your own peril,” Musawa added.
She further explained that in many northern communities, politics is viewed as a key avenue for influencing national outcomes. “They wait every four years to be able to line up. A man with his four wives and 30 children, everybody is going to line up, because that’s where they know they can have an impact in positioning Nigeria. For them, it is almost like an identity,” she said.
Musawa also downplayed the ability of opposition parties to defeat Tinubu and Shettima in 2027, describing the opposition as fragmented and driven largely by personal ambition.
“To be fair, I think all of the members of the opposition are formidable people. But honestly, especially the way the opposition is emerging, I don’t see how the opposition as it is now can unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima,” she said.
She described the opposition as overcrowded, arguing that its leading figures were competing for the same position. “Every single member of that opposition is vying for the same spot and only for that spot. So that in itself creates a little bit of recipe for disaster,” Musawa said.
While acknowledging the political influence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Musawa questioned the feasibility of a joint ticket involving Atiku and Peter Obi, citing competing ambitions and voter expectations.
“Of course, Atiku Abubakar is a factor because he is a patriot and a formidable Nigerian. If you put Mr Peter Obi together with Atiku Abubakar, well, somebody has to be president. So how is that going to be resolved? Is it going to be a combination of the 2019 ticket?” she said.
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“That is VP Atiku with Peter Obi as running mate, in which case I don’t think Obidients are going to be very happy. And if it is the other way, I don’t see Peter Obi having the ability to galvanise the core northern votes in the way he was unable to in the last election,” Musawa added.
She also dismissed suggestions that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, could significantly weaken APC support in the North-West, saying she did not believe he had the capacity to “injure” the president’s vote base in the region.