On all Nigerian social media platforms on Sunday, this was one of the most frequently asked questions.
Can Muslims in Nigeria accept a ruling party giving its presidential ticket to a president and vice presidential candidate who are Christians?
The question got a lot of attention shortly after Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate in Nigeria, picked Shettima as his running mate.
Both Tinubu and his running mate, the former governor of Borno State, are Muslims.
Several people who are kicking against Tinubu’s choice said a Muslim-muslim ticket in a multi-ethnic and secular country like Nigeria is not a good precedent for the democracy of inclusion the country claims to be practicing.
Because Nigeria is a diverse nation, Ahmed Musa Ibrahim, a Muslim Twitter user, claimed it was a bad idea for the APC to choose a Muslim Muslim candidates.
“If you (a Muslim) are supporting Muslim Muslim ticket in Nigeria you’re not fair to yourself. Think about Christian Christian ticket in Nigeria you’ll no doubt understand that this is not a good move in a diverse country like Nigeria,” he said.
MandyNews.com also came across a tweet from Oluwa Femi in which he claimed that if the candidates had been Christians, the Nigerian Muslims would have caused chaos.
“Run a Christian/Christian ticket in Nigeria and by next week Friday, you’d have all the Islamic preachers in the North spitting fire and inciting their congregations to go after the infidels,” he tweeted.
Numerous Muslims are criticizing the candidates on social media, but there are also plenty who are cheering them on.
Will Nigerian Muslims tolerate it if the ruling party nominates a Christian for both president and vice president?
That is the simple question.
