A former Deputy Speaker of the 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 All Progressives Congress’ decision to retain its Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting the arrangement does not threaten Nigeria’s religious balance.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5FM, Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State, Hazzan, who is also a member of the APC, dismissed concerns that the party’s ticket undermines the interests of Christians, arguing that President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated religious tolerance.
“I belong to the All-Progressive Congress, I believe that we are not bigots, religious bigot, most especially. We do not in any way market anything that shows favor for one religion over a threat to the existence of another,” he said.
According to him, the President’s marriage to an ordained pastor of the RCCG reflects his disposition towards religious inclusiveness.
“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, 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.” he added.
Addressing criticism of the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, Hazzan maintained that the decision was driven by political realities rather than religious considerations.
According to him: “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…And to that extent, we will not have any problem marketing that ticket come 2027.”
Hazzan dismissed suggestions that the APC’s decision to retain a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket signaled that the party considered the Christian electorate politically insignificant
He argued that the emergence of a Southern Muslim presidential candidate represented an unusual political situation that required a different strategy.
“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 the rationale behind the APC’s ticket, Hazzan argued that the party’s decision was influenced by Nigeria’s political history and electoral realities rather than religious bias, saying the emergence of a Southern Muslim presidential candidate represented an unprecedented political situation that required a different strategic approach.
“This is the first time we are actually having a Southern Muslim. 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. 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 bigoted religiously.” he said.
Hazzan insisted that the APC’s decision was neither an act of religious exclusion nor a slight against Christians, maintaining that the party adopted what it considered the most practical political strategy under the circumstances.
“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, Hazzan stressed that religious affiliation should never outweigh competence in leadership, urging faith communities to present their best candidates for public office.
“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. There can be good people in 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.”
Reflecting on the Tinubu administration after three years in office, Hazzan acknowledged the initial hardships caused by economic reforms but argued that the country was beginning to see signs of recovery.
He said: “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 those period for us to have any hope of getting back to prosperity again. Mr. President should be allowed to finish the good work that he began.”
On the role of Christians in politics, Hazzan rejected the long-held belief that politics is too dirty for believers, insisting that the church must move beyond prayers and participate actively in governance through voting, contesting elections and influencing public policy.
“For a very long time, the church was deceived to believe 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”
The cleric also rejected the notion that politics inevitably corrupts believers, saying Christians should not view politics as incompatible with their faith and insisting that it was possible to serve in public office without compromising or abandoning Christian principles.
“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.
