Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has said the 1999 Constitution does not mandate religious balancing in political appointments or electoral tickets, maintaining that its provisions are centred on inclusiveness, federal character and equitable representation rather than religion.

Sule stated this on Tuesday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, while responding to criticisms by Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2027 vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), over issues relating to political representation.

The governor described Kwankwaso’s remarks as typical of opposition politics, saying opposition figures are expected to criticise the government regardless of its actions.

According to Sule, the constitutional provisions often cited in discussions about inclusiveness do not make religion a criterion for political appointments or election tickets.

He explained that Section 14(3) of the Constitution addresses the principle of federal character and broad national representation, while Section 15 focuses on promoting national integration and discouraging ethnic discrimination.

Sule argued that neither section makes any provision requiring political offices or party tickets to be shared on the basis of religion.

To support his position, the governor pointed to the election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima on a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023, as well as the late MKO Abiola’s 1993 presidential bid alongside Babagana Kingibe, which also featured candidates of the same faith.

He maintained that constitutional compliance should be measured against the principles of fairness, inclusiveness and federal character, rather than assumptions about mandatory religious balancing in Nigeria’s political system.