An All Progressives Congress Chieftain and public affairs analyst, Abimiku Dangana Solomon has faulted comments credited to the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, over the choice of a vice-presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Monday, Solomon expressed concern over Musawa’s recent interview on Channels Television, where she reportedly claimed that only a Northern Muslim vice-presidential candidate could secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
According to him, such a position “undermines the principles of national unity” and “perpetuates harmful stereotypes that reduce Nigeria’s political dynamics to narrow religious and ethnic calculations.”
He criticized Musawa’s alleged assertion that Northerners possess a unique “sophistication of politics” and hold the “political key to Nigeria,” describing the statement as “condescending, historically and statistically inaccurate.”
Solomon also criticized Musawa’s alleged assertion that Northerners possess a unique “sophistication of politics” and hold the “political key to Nigeria,” describing the statement as “condescending, historically and statistically inaccurate.”
“More troubling is the explicit conclusion that only a Hausa, Fulani, or Kanuri Northern Muslim vice-presidential candidate can guarantee Tinubu’s re-election in 2027,” he stated.
Solomon argued that the claim “does not just undermine the contribution of Northern Muslim ethnic minorities and their Christian counterparts but effectively erases the rich diversity that defines Northern Nigeria and Nigeria as a nation.”
He said the narrative promotes division and suppresses the aspirations of “millions of non-Hausa, non-Fulani, and non-Kanuri progressive Muslims in the North, as well as Christian minorities who believe in a united and equitable Nigeria.”
Citing the 2023 presidential election, NC-TAG stressed that voting patterns in the North are far from monolithic.
“The 2023 presidential election demonstrated that voters across regions prioritize good governance, equity, and quality representation over narrow ethnic or religious considerations,” Solomon stated.
Solomon who part of the North Central Tinubu Action Group (NC-TAG) noted that President Tinubu lost most Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Muslim-majority states in the North-East and North-West, winning only Zamfara, Jigawa and Borno, while securing victories in non-Hausa, non-Fulani and non-Kanuri states such as Benue, Niger, Kwara and Kogi.
“Katsina State, your home state, and Kanuri-dominated Yobe State were won by the opposition PDP, despite the APC fielding a Northern Muslim vice-presidential candidate,” the statement added.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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