By Professor Ishaq Akintola

A faith-based civil liberties organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has described the retention of Vice President Kashim Shettimah as the running mate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a positive sign.

‎Commenting on the development on Thursday, 16th July, 2026 was Professor Ishaq Akintola who is the Executive Director of the human rights organization. He opined that the decision to retain Shettimah will boost confidence in the Tinubu administration among Muslim voters who constitute the largest chunk of the Nigerian electorate.

‎MURIC expatiated:

‎”The name of Vice President Kashim Shettimah was announced a few days ago as the running mate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.

‎”This is a positive sign. We have no scintilla of doubt that the decision to retain Shettimah will boost confidence in the Tinubu administration among Muslim voters who constitute the largest chunk of the Nigerian electorate but who, sadly, have borne the brunt of low government patronage in terms of political appointments, social empowerment and other dividends of democracy.

‎”It is now that Muslims in the country begin to see hope on the horizon. This action symptomises the beginning of a chain of actions which tantamount to reviews of those policies which Muslim leaders and their followers find objectionable, degrading, naturally queer, socially inexplicable and politically unconventional.

‎”We therefore urge Nigerian Muslims to tarry awhile as more policy realignments are being expected before the 2027 general elections. We should not throw away the baby with the dirty bath water. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

‎”It should be noted that this administration has been under immense pressure to present a Christian running mate for the coming election. But the president is too shrewed politically to swallow the empty bait which was motivated by personal aggrandizement. The fact that President Tinubu decided to maintain the status quo shows that he has no intention to jettison Muslim interest.

‎”We smell Solomonic wisdom in President Tinubu’s decision to retain his vice president as his running mate. It is not dictated by religion. It is motivated by strategy. It is numbers that count in elections, not faith, not sentiment.”

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).