2027: Coalition urges US to oppose Muslim-Muslim ticket

A coalition of Christian organisations and human rights groups drawn from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has petitioned the United States President, Donald Trump, the US Congress and diplomatic missions, warning that retaining a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2027 general election could worsen Nigeria’s security situation.

The petition, submitted by the Christian Youth Alliance of Nigeria (CYAN), was signed by its Chairman, Zariyi Yusuf Madaki, Secretary, Nasiru Jagaba, as well as Luka Binniyat, Steven Kefas, Ier Jonathan-Ichaver, Apostle Michael Olowookere and Emmanuel Zopmal, among others.

Addressed to President Trump and copied to the US Secretary of State, members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, and diplomatic missions accredited to Nigeria, the coalition urged sustained international attention to what it described as the worsening security of Christians in the country.

“We commend the decision to redesignate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)… rather than what communities on the ground know them to be: targeted religious genocide,” the petition stated.

The group, however, argued that the designation “has, however, not stopped the killing,” citing the reported killing of at least 30 Christians in Naridon community of Kaduna State.

The coalition further alleged that retaining the same-faith presidential ticket in 2027 would heighten religious tensions.

“As we write today, a political decision unfolding in Abuja threatens to entrench and consolidate the Christian genocide in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu’s retention of the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the upcoming 2027 election is, in our assessment, the single gravest political threat to the safety of Christians in Nigeria, particularly the northern region,” it said.

It also criticised the federal government’s policy on the rehabilitation of repentant terrorists, alleging that “taxes collected from persecuted Christians are budgeted for the rehabilitation and reintegration of jihadists.”