Muslim-Muslim ticket deepened Christian persecution in Nigeria – Babachir Lawal

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has said that the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 general election has worsened perceptions of religious exclusion and contributed to what he described as increased persecution of Christians in parts of Nigeria.

Lawal made the assertion on Channels Television’s Politics Today, criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over its handling of national unity and security, arguing that the political decision had far-reaching consequences beyond electoral calculations.

According to him, the ticket sent a dangerous signal to sections of the country, particularly Christians in the North, and has been linked—at least in perception—to rising insecurity and religiously tinged violence.

“The Muslim-Muslim ticket is an issue of injustice to me,” he said. “Not only that, it is the way it was portrayed, it implied that of all the millions of Christians in the North, none is good enough to be vice president.”

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He argued that such political messaging had contributed to resentment and mistrust, adding that the fallout had been exploited by violent actors across the country.

Lawal said, since that time, we have seen what has happened, the killings that are going on, the pogrom, linking the political arrangement to worsening insecurity.

The former SGF further claimed that the perception created by the ticket had emboldened criminal elements and deepened divisions in the country, particularly in northern communities.

“It is the impression that he has created that has empowered everybody who has an AK-47 rifle to go and start killing,” he said.

Lawal also referenced broader grievances around religious inclusion, arguing that many Christian communities in northern Nigeria have long experienced systemic discrimination and exclusion, which he said the political arrangement aggravated.

“There’s none that hasn’t faced one form of persecution or denial of privileges or rights,” he said.

His comments add to ongoing political debate over the implications of religious balancing in Nigeria’s presidency, with critics of the APC continuing to argue that the 2023 ticket has heightened national tension, while supporters maintain it was a strategic political decision aimed at electoral success.