Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has stated that it would be challenging for Nigerians to oppose a Christian-Christian presidential ticket in the future, claiming that President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima's Muslim-Muslim ticket has "opened a Pandora's box."

Lawal made these remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television's Morning Show programme, where he suggested that the nation is currently suffering the consequences of the Muslim-Muslim ticket arrangement.

"It has opened a Pandora's box. Somebody can now come out with a Christian-Christian ticket, and Nigerians will find it very difficult to oppose it, because a precedent has been set," Lawal said.

The former SGF emphasized that his concerns went beyond religious considerations, touching on fundamental issues of equity in governance. "But not only was I complaining about the precedent because of religious considerations, but because of the sense of equity. There needs to be equity in what we do. If we don't, we suffer the consequences that we are doing now because we have not shown equity, we have discriminated against the ill segment of the society," he explained.

Lawal further asserted that the current challenges facing the country might be partially attributed to this perceived inequity. "When the leader decides to practice evil, the society suffers. And that is part of the reason why we are where we are now," he stated.

The former government official also highlighted the importance of regional balance in addition to religious considerations. "I always remember, not only Muslim-Muslim ticket or Christian-Christian ticket, it's not about the ticket alone, but also our regional balances. People must feel they have a sense of belonging before they can put their energy into working to develop and unite the country," Lawal concluded.

Lawal has been a vocal critic of the Muslim-Muslim ticket since before the 2023 general elections, consistently arguing that it undermines Nigeria's delicate religious and regional balances.