Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said the 1999 Constitution does not compel political parties or governments to balance appointments and electoral tickets along religious lines.
CityNews reports that Sule said the Constitution instead emphasised federal character, ethnic representation and inclusiveness in public appointments.
The governor spoke on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Sule was responding to comments by the 2027 vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over representation and political inclusion.
The governor described Kwankwaso’s position as a normal feature of opposition politics.
Sule said, “I think it is normal for Senator Kwankwaso, whom I respect a lot, to say that because he’s opposition.
“He cannot say anything good. It is expected of him to say that.”
The governor argued that constitutional provisions on inclusion were often interpreted beyond their actual meaning.
According to him, Section 14(3) of the Constitution deals with federal character and equitable representation, while Section 15 addresses ethnicity and national integration.
He maintained that neither provision expressly required religious balancing.
“There is no place where it talks about religion. Section 14 didn’t talk about religion. Section 15 did not talk about religion,” Sule said.
Sule referred to the election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He also cited the 1993 presidential election contested by the late Moshood Abiola and his running mate, Babagana Kingibe, who were both Muslims.
The governor said, “You can see both elections have been clear that the Muslim-Muslim ticket has won.
“I pray that one day Nigeria will have a Christian-Christian ticket, and it will win.”
He said the success of same-faith tickets showed that Nigerians could vote based on factors other than religion.
Sule, however, said his decision to retain a Christian deputy governor in Nasarawa State was based on competence rather than an attempt to satisfy a constitutional religious requirement.
He said, “I have always had a Christian as a deputy, Emmanuel Akabe.
“In Nasarawa State, it has always been a Christian. We thought it was important because Emmanuel Akabe is competent and our state is different from Nigeria.”
The governor argued that the political realities of individual states could not always be used as a standard for national arrangements.
Sule noted that some predominantly Christian states had governors and deputy governors who shared the same faith.
“You cannot take a particular state. Take Enugu, for instance; they are Christian-Christian. Take Bayelsa; it’s Christian-Christian,” he added.
He maintained that political parties and leaders should be allowed to select candidates based on competence, electoral calculations and the peculiar circumstances of their constituencies rather than religion alone.
