Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Ignore Donald Trump, Stand By Your Choice – Reuben Abati Tells Tinubu

Veteran journalist and former presidential aide Dr. Reuben Abati has advised President Bola Tinubu to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 general election, stressing that the President should remain loyal to his chosen running mate.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Abati said recent comments by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, on the political implications of changing the Vice President were neither offensive nor inappropriate.

He noted that Musawa rightly pointed out that altering the ticket could affect political calculations in the North, particularly among Kanuri and Hausa-Fulani voters.

According to him, Nigeria’s political choices should be determined by Nigerians and not influenced by foreign political figures, insisting that President Tinubu must show courage and consistency in his decisions.

Abati said: “Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Tourism creative Economy, was very courageous to have stood up to say that, look, if we change the Vice President, you change the equation because of the blackmail from the Christian community, then it will have implications, deeper consequences in the more politically literate north.

“She may have said, if you don’t have a Kanuri, you don’t have Hausa-Fulani or Hausa person in the equation for 2027, then you know the APC will have issues.

“Well, there’s nothing she has said that is offensive, in my view. I said so yesterday. I say so again. She even said the opposition, there is no aggression towards the opposition, because we need the opposition.

“I think it’s the APC leadership that is missing the point. And Felix Morka (APC National Publicity Secretary), should be reminded that consistently there has been an attempt to, you know, downplay the Tinubu, Shettima ticket – the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“And I have called on President Tinubu, he must have the courage to stand by his choice. He stood by that choice in 2023 he should stand by it again in 2027. All this talk about Donald Trump, I repeat again, it’s not Donald Trump that will dictate to Nigeria what the political choices of Nigerians should be.”