RCCG Pastor Hazzan defends Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, says President has shown religious tolerance

Michael Olumide Alabi

Former Deputy Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly and Assistant Pastor in Charge of Province in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Remmy Hazzan, has defended the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to retain its Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Hazzan, who is also a member of the APC, said the decision should not be interpreted as a threat to Christians or an attempt to undermine the place of the Christian community in Nigeria’s political affairs.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the former lawmaker argued that President Bola Tinubu had demonstrated sufficient religious tolerance since assuming office, insisting that the administration’s policies and leadership should be assessed based on competence and performance rather than religious affiliation.

Hazzan said the APC did not promote religious bigotry and had no intention of favouring one religion at the expense of another.

“I belong to the All-Progressive Congress. I believe that we are not bigots, religious bigots, most especially. We do not in any way market anything that shows favour for one religion over a threat to the existence of another,” he said.

He further cited the President’s marriage to an ordained pastor of the RCCG as an indication of his disposition towards religious inclusiveness and tolerance.

According to him, the fact that the President’s wife is a Christian and an ordained pastor in the RCCG demonstrated that Tinubu could coexist peacefully with people of different faiths.

“The wife of the president is an ordained pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. And if such a man could live with his Christian wife, an ordained pastor, for as long as they’ve been married, that shows his religious tolerance level. And such a thing, we still believe, will manifest in his leadership of Nigeria,” Hazzan said.

The APC chieftain also dismissed concerns surrounding the party’s decision to retain the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, explaining that the arrangement was based largely on political realities and electoral considerations rather than religious discrimination.

He argued that the choice of President Tinubu and his running mate was influenced by the prevailing political circumstances and the need to build a ticket capable of commanding broad electoral support.

“The reasons for the candidature of Mr. President and his vice-presidential candidate are also solving some political exigencies, but the aspect of religious sentiment as to any other religion being threatened has not been manifested in any way whatsoever,” he said.

“To that extent, we will not have any problem marketing that ticket come 2027.”

Hazzan also rejected suggestions that the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket indicated that the Christian electorate was considered politically insignificant by the ruling party.

He noted that the emergence of a Southern Muslim as the presidential candidate of a major political party had created a unique political situation that, in his view, required a different approach to the selection of a running mate.

“Nobody has said the Christian voting bloc is insignificant. No. If you must take note, this is the first time that a Southern Muslim will emerge as the candidate of a major political party in Nigeria,” he said.

Explaining further, the former Deputy Speaker said Nigeria’s political history had largely seen Southern Christians emerge as presidential candidates of major parties, with Northern Muslim communities accepting Muslim running mates without significant resistance.

He argued that the current political configuration was different because selecting a Northern Christian as Tinubu’s running mate would, in his opinion, have required considerable political persuasion among Northern Muslim voters.

“This is the first time we are actually having a Southern Muslim. During the period that we had Southern Christians, the Muslim majority in the North did not have any problem producing a running mate from the Islamic faith. So it has been more like an easy walk through,” he explained.

“But this time, to pick a Northern Christian, we will need to do a lot of convincing for the Northern Muslims in that party and in the voting populace for us to be able to command a trust that we are actually not bigoted religiously.”

Hazzan insisted that the APC’s decision should not be viewed as an act of religious exclusion or a deliberate slight against Christians, maintaining that the party adopted what it considered a practical political strategy in response to the circumstances surrounding the 2023 presidential election and the country’s political dynamics.

He said the decision required political courage on the part of President Tinubu, adding that it was not motivated by disregard for the Christian faith.

“It took a lot of guts for President Bola Tinubu to be able to decide that when it is like this, there will always be a way out. And that was what was done. It wasn’t because there was disregard for the Christian faith,” he added.

While defending the APC’s position, the cleric stressed that religious affiliation should not be allowed to overshadow competence and integrity in the selection of leaders.

He urged Christians, Muslims and adherents of traditional religions to put forward their most capable candidates for public office, arguing that Nigeria would benefit when leadership positions were occupied by people with the necessary competence, character and commitment to serve.

“The best of us should rule the rest of us, not the worst of us ruling the best of us. So to that extent, Christians, throw up your best. Muslims, throw up your best. Even the traditional religion, throw up your best,” he said.

“There can be good people almost everywhere. And to that extent, when we have a congregation of the best of the best, then we are sure that only the best will be good enough for the citizenry.”

On the performance of the Tinubu administration after three years in office, Hazzan acknowledged the economic difficulties Nigerians experienced following the implementation of some of the government’s major reforms.

However, he argued that the country was gradually moving towards economic stability and that the reforms, though painful, were necessary to lay the foundation for future prosperity.

“The current administration has done so much, and I think we’re beginning to get to the point of equilibrium, and it is becoming clear that we actually needed that period for us to have any hope of getting back to prosperity again,” he said.
Hazzan therefore called on Nigerians to allow President Tinubu to complete the work he started, expressing optimism that the country would eventually benefit from the reforms being implemented by the administration.

“Mr. President should be allowed to finish the good work that he began,” he added.
The former lawmaker also spoke on the role of Christians in Nigerian politics, challenging the long-standing perception among some believers that politics is inherently dirty and unsuitable for people of faith.

According to him, the church must move beyond prayers and become actively involved in governance by participating in elections, contesting political offices and contributing to public policy.

“For a very long time, the church was deceived into believing that politics is dirty and only dirty people can stay in it, forgetting that when something is dirty, it needs cleaning. And only those who have that clean mentality can actually do proper cleaning. You don’t clean from without, you clean better from within,” he said.

Hazzan maintained that Christians should not abandon the political space to others, arguing that active participation was necessary if believers wanted to influence the direction of governance and ensure that public institutions were led by people with sound moral values.

He also rejected the argument that involvement in politics would inevitably corrupt Christians, saying believers could occupy public offices without compromising their faith or abandoning the moral principles they profess.

“You need the consciousness of the various moral values that you have embraced as a Christian. And to also ensure that you’re not carried away by the supposed pleasure of office to the point that you forget where you are coming from,” he said.

He urged Christians seeking political office to remain guided by their values and remember the responsibilities that come with leadership, stressing that political power should be used for the benefit of the people rather than for personal enrichment.

The cleric’s comments come amid renewed debate over the APC’s 2027 presidential ticket and the wider question of religious balancing in Nigerian politics, with political parties and stakeholders expected to intensify consultations ahead of the next general elections.