The Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima dual ticket for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election is not exceptional, according to elder statesman Tanko Yakasai, hence there is no cause for controversy.

Yakasai stated that he is convinced that "the combined ticket is genuine and would fly" during his Monday speech in Kano.

This is not the first time a candidate or leader of this country and their deputy had the same faith, according to the former Special Advisor to the late President Shehu Shagari.

He said that Major General Muhammadu Buhari and Major General Tunde Idiagbon, who served as the Chief of Staff at Supreme Headquarters at the time of Buhari's coup, were both Muslims from the north geographic zone.

Yakasai stressed that “Late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, a southern Muslim ,and his running mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe recorded a landslide victory in 1993 general election.”

He noted, “Therefore, it’s not something new to Nigeria, and I’m particularly not disturbed that history has repeated itself, certainly it will work.”

According to him “Tinubu is from the South West from a minority religion, if you ask him to take a minority ,Northern Christian, it will be minority ticket, and such arrangements negate the principle of participatory democracy.”

Yakasai stated that “Northern population consist of 85 percent Muslims, and in the principle of fairness, you must choose from the dominant faith to enable the ticket fly.”

“Don’t forget, Christian faithful in the north consist less than 20 percent of the region’s population, therefore Tinubu’s choice is representational, balanced, and fair to competing stakeholders in Nigeria.”, the Elder statesman stressed.

He declared that “Those canvassing for anything contrary to the existing arrangements want Tinubu to fail. A combination of the minority from the south and the north can’t win a competitive election in Nigeria.”