WHY YAKUBU DOGARA IS THE APC’S BEST BET FOR VICE PRESIDENT IN 2027: FAITH, BALANCE, AND NATIONAL UNITY
Dogara’s VP candidacy offers the APC a chance to rebuild trust, promote religious balance, and win broader support ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
By Walcott Aganu
Yakubu dogara 2027
Apc vice president candidate
Religious balance in nigerian politics
In every democracy, especially one as complex and culturally layered as Nigeria’s, the principles of representation and inclusion are not just ideals; they are necessities.
Democracy, at its core, is the governance of a diverse people through the deliberate inclusion of their many voices, histories, and aspirations. This truth is particularly poignant in the Nigerian context, where ethnicity, region, and religion shape not only personal identity but also political participation and voter behaviour.
As the All Progressives Congress (APC) looks ahead to the 2027 general elections, it faces a moment of reflection and decision. Beyond party loyalty and electoral calculations lies a deeper question: Will the APC rise to the occasion by presenting a presidential ticket that truly reflects the spirit of national unity?
The answer may well lie in the person of Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a respected Christian leader from Bauchi State. In him, the APC finds not only a seasoned statesman with legislative acumen but also a symbol of much-needed religious and regional balance, an essential ingredient for the party’s future success.
The scars of the 2023 elections are still fresh. While the APC emerged victorious, the choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket created visible fractures within the political landscape. What might have been dismissed as mere political strategy soon morphed into a national debate on exclusion and representation. Across many Christian communities, particularly in the North, the South-East, and the South-South, feelings of marginalization hardened into electoral disillusionment. The results were evident.
A glance at the 2023 presidential election results across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones paints a picture of both triumph and vulnerability for the APC:
North Central
APC: 1,760,993 | LP: 1,415,532 | PDP: 1,162,087
Total Votes: 4,338,612
APC: 1,760,993 | LP: 1,415,532 | PDP: 1,162,087
Total Votes: 4,338,612
North East
APC: 1,185,458 | LP: 315,107 | PDP: 1,741,846
Total Votes: 3,242,411
APC: 1,185,458 | LP: 315,107 | PDP: 1,741,846
Total Votes: 3,242,411
North West
APC: 2,652,235 | LP: 350,182 | PDP: 2,329,540
Total Votes: 5,331,957
APC: 2,652,235 | LP: 350,182 | PDP: 2,329,540
Total Votes: 5,331,957
South East
APC: 127,605 | LP: 1,960,589 | PDP: 91,198
Total Votes: 2,179,392
APC: 127,605 | LP: 1,960,589 | PDP: 91,198
Total Votes: 2,179,392
South South
APC: 799,957 | LP: 1,210,675 | PDP: 717,908
Total Votes: 2,728,540
APC: 799,957 | LP: 1,210,675 | PDP: 717,908
Total Votes: 2,728,540
South West
APC: 2,279,407 | LP: 806,478 | PDP: 941,941
Total Votes: 4,027,826
APC: 2,279,407 | LP: 806,478 | PDP: 941,941
Total Votes: 4,027,826
While the APC maintained dominance in parts of the North and South-West, its poor performance in the South-East and South-South reflected a critical deficit in trust, one rooted, in large part, in perceived religious exclusion. The 2023 Muslim-Muslim ticket, though legally sound and politically defended, inadvertently alienated a significant bloc of the electorate. The Christian community, particularly in the North, felt betrayed.
This is where Hon. Yakubu Dogara's candidacy becomes not only strategic but restorative. His nomination as the party’s vice-presidential flagbearer would do more than check a box. It would send a powerful message that the APC hears, sees, and values every Nigerian voice. As a Northern Christian with deep political experience and moral credibility, Dogara stands at the confluence of identity and competence. He is not merely a symbol; he is a statesman capable of commanding national respect.
Dogara’s presence on the 2027 ticket would also mark a departure from the politics of expediency toward the politics of empathy. It would signal that the APC is willing to acknowledge past missteps and chart a more inclusive path forward. In a country where faith plays an inescapable role in political alignment, Dogara’s selection would reassure millions of Christian voters across Nigeria that they, too, have a stake in the nation’s highest offices.
Moreover, his nomination would be a boon to the APC in the volatile and electorally significant North-Central region, a zone where ethno-religious diversity demands deliberate political calibration. It would also re-energize Christian communities in the North-East and North-West who have long sought genuine representation at the federal level.
To ignore this opportunity would be to repeat the errors of the past. But to seize it would be to galvanize a broader coalition, one that transcends religious boundaries and rebuilds the fragile trust between party and populace.
It is important to note that Dogara is not being proposed solely as a Christian from the North. He is being recommended as a leader of national consequence; a man whose journey from the chambers of the House of Representatives to the speakership has been defined by prudence, maturity, and an unwavering commitment to national unity.
The 2027 general election is not just another political contest; it is a referendum on inclusion. The APC must now choose whether to widen its embrace or retreat further into factional calculations. Dogara’s inclusion on the ticket could be the bridge that brings disillusioned voters back into the party’s fold. His candidacy would embody the values of balance, equity, and respect for Nigeria’s pluralism, values the APC must champion if it is to remain a national party in both name and spirit.
In conclusion, Nigeria cannot afford to mortgage its future to a politics that divides rather than unites. As the APC crafts its 2027 ticket, it must remember that governance is not only about victory at the polls but about legitimacy, acceptance, and the ability to inspire hope across every community. Hon. Yakubu Dogara is not just the Christian voice the APC needs; he is the national voice Nigeria deserves.
Hon. Joseph Ayalo Polycarp
Coordinator, North Central Tinubu Action Group (NC-TAG)
Hon. Joseph Ayalo Polycarp
Coordinator, North Central Tinubu Action Group (NC-TAG)
