President Bola Tinubu and VP Kashim Shettima
A coalition of Christian groups and human rights organisations has petitioned United States President Donald Trump, the US Congress and diplomatic missions accredited to Nigeria, urging them to intervene against the continuation of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2027 general election, claiming it could worsen insecurity and deepen the marginalisation of Christians.
The petition, submitted by the Christian Youth Alliance of Nigeria (CYAN), was made available to journalists in Jos on Sunday. It was signed by the group’s Chairman, Zariyi Yusuf Madaki; Secretary, Nasiru Jagaba; Luka Binniyat; Steven Kefas; Ier Jonathan-Ichaver; Apostle Michael Olowookere; Emmanuel Zopmal and other Christian leaders and activists from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Addressed to President Trump and copied to the US Secretary of State, members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, as well as heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Nigeria, the coalition urged sustained American attention to what it described as the deteriorating security situation facing Christians in the country.
The group commended the United States’ decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), saying the move had helped expose the plight of Christians but had not stemmed the violence.
“We commend the decision to redesignate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a step whose principal value so far has been to discredit propagandists who worked to portray murdered Christians as casualties of ordinary banditry, rather than what communities on the ground know them to be: targeted religious genocide. The CPC designation has, however, not stopped the killing,” the petition read.
The coalition cited the recent killing of at least 30 Christians in Naridon community of Kaduna State as evidence that attacks on Christian communities were continuing unabated.
It argued that retaining the same-faith presidential ticket in 2027 would further worsen the security situation.
“As we write today, a political decision unfolding in Abuja threatens to entrench and consolidate the Christian genocide in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu’s retention of the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the upcoming 2027 election is, in our assessment, the single gravest political threat to the safety of Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the northern region,” the petition stated.
According to the coalition, the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2023 election broke Nigeria’s long-standing tradition of balancing the country’s religious diversity in its two highest political offices.
“This is not just a symbolic grievance, but a palpable one which transcends politics and has led to Christian exclusion in governance and in matters of faith. It has emboldened the jihadist armed groups that already operate with impunity in Christian-dominated communities,” it added.
The petition also referred to a 2023 video of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, whom it described as one of the architects of the same-faith ticket.
“Nasir el-Rufai… in 2023, was seen in a video circulated broadly across Nigerian media telling an audience of Islamic clerics that the Muslim-Muslim arrangement would endure and would silence Christians in Nigeria. It illustrates precisely the political mentality we hereby ask to be repudiated,” the coalition said.
The group also referenced former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, alleging that Nigeria’s political system had continued to elevate individuals who had previously made extremist statements.
The coalition further criticised the Federal Government’s policy of rehabilitating and reintegrating repentant terrorists, alleging that it rewarded former militants while victims of attacks remained neglected.
“Under the current Muslim-Muslim Presidency, taxes collected from persecuted Christians are budgeted for the rehabilitation and reintegration of jihadists, so-called ‘repentant terrorists’, who are placed on Government payrolls, while Internally Displaced Persons, predominantly Christians, are left in ruins,” the petition alleged.
It also raised concerns over Nigeria’s lobbying efforts in Washington following the CPC redesignation, citing Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings.
According to the coalition, the Nigerian government retained international lobbying and public relations firms to present its record on the protection of Christian communities to American policymakers.
“We do not object to Nigeria defending its record; we ask only that Congress and the State Department do not allow paid narrative management in Washington to substitute for verified improvements on the ground in Nigeria. The test of progress should be the safety of Christian communities, not the polish, however well-financed, of Abuja’s messaging to American audiences,” the petition stated.
Among its requests, the coalition urged the United States to maintain Nigeria’s CPC designation until there was independently verified improvement in the protection of Christian communities. It also called on Washington to encourage Nigerian authorities to reflect the country’s religious diversity in future presidential tickets, abolish the policy of reintegrating repentant terrorists, ensure transparent investigation and prosecution of attacks on Christian communities, and sustain humanitarian assistance to displaced persons through independent channels.
The coalition further urged the United States to investigate allegations that some Arab countries, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, were influencing Nigeria’s politics in favour of retaining a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
“We urge you to employ your good offices to investigate reports that some Arab countries, particularly Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia, are meddling in Nigerian politics by mounting pressure on the country to retain the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the forthcoming election in order to further subjugate Christians in Nigeria,”the petition stated.
As at the time of filing this report, the Presidency had yet to respond to the allegations contained in the petition.
