Former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad has urged Nigerians to view the Tinubu/Shettima ticket as a collaboration between two ethnic groups – Yoruba and Kanuri – rather than framing it as a Muslim/Muslim pairing.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Ahmad called on citizens to avoid religious narratives in politics and focus on national unity. He stressed that President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima did not campaign on religious lines during the 2023 elections.

“I genuinely thought that the Tinubu/Shettima ticket would be seen first and foremost as a Yoruba/Kanuri ticket, two ethnic groups coming together to represent national diversity… But now, because that narrative doesn’t fit the current agenda, suddenly everything is reduced to Muslim/Muslim,” he said.

Ahmad added that for Nigeria to grow, politics should be guided by truth rather than “reckless narratives” that inflame sentiment, emphasizing that the country deserves better.