Musawa: Northern Muslim Key to APC’s 2027 Success

The Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has sounded a strategic alarm over the All Progressives Congress (APC) internal deliberations, warning that any attempt to drop a Northern Muslim from the 2027 presidential ticket would be an electoral catastrophe. Speaking on a high-stakes episode of the Mic On Show with Seun Okinbaloye on Sunday, January 25, 2026, Musawa argued that the party’s current religious and regional “construct” is the only viable path to maintaining its northern stronghold.

Musawa’s intervention comes amid intensifying whispers within the ruling party about a potential reshuffle of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that brought President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to power in 2023. The Minister was uncompromising in her assessment, stating that the political reality of Northern Nigeria demands the presence of a Hausa, Fulani, or Kanuri Muslim in the vice-presidential slot. To deviate from this, she warned, would be to ignore the “sophisticated and strategic” voting patterns of the core North.

According to the Minister, states such as Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, and Sokoto treat politics as a “way of life,” with voters waiting in four-year cycles to assert their regional influence. She dismissed the idea of a ticket reshuffle as “politically naive,” suggesting that those advocating for a non-Northern Muslim running mate fundamentally misinterpret the cultural and religious sentiments that drive turnout in the region. “If we toy with the current arrangement, it becomes a problem,” she declared, labeling any such move a “hurdle” the party might not clear.

Addressing the rising momentum of opposition figures, Musawa remained unfazed by the prospect of a united front against the presidency. She characterized the current opposition landscape as “overcrowded,” arguing that the sheer number of aspirants vying for the same leadership position is a “recipe for failure.” In her view, the fragmented nature of the opposition’s ambitions serves as a shield for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, making an upset in 2027 highly unlikely.

The Minister’s comments also touched on the delicate balance of national unity. While she defended the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket on pragmatic grounds, she framed it as a necessary strategy for stability within the APC’s specific electoral coalition. By insisting on the retention of Kashim Shettima—a Kanuri Muslim—Musawa is positioning the Vice President as an indispensable bridge to the northern electorate, one that cannot be swapped without shattering the party’s foundation in the “core North.”

Musawa concluded by welcoming a “strong opposition” as a sign of a healthy democracy, yet she maintained a posture of absolute confidence in the APC’s direction. As the 2026 political calendar heats up, her warnings serve as both a defense of the Vice President and a blunt memo to APC strategists: the road to 2027 must remain paved with the same regional and religious stones that led to victory in 2023.