Tuesday, January 27, 2026 - 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.
“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.
“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.
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