The article, “Muslim/Muslim Ticket: Bearing the Cross of Injustice, Expecting Political Productivity,” presents an urgent and courageous call for Christian political awakening, yet its prescriptions, though necessary, must be anchored within a deeper national framework—one that transcends mere electoral arithmetic to confront the structural defects that perpetuate imbalance and injustice. The issue before us is not simply the faith composition of leadership, but the systemic distortion of Nigeria’s federal foundation. Without a return to a truly federal and ethnically balanced constitutional order—such as the amended 1963 People’s Constitution—the Christian, like many marginalized nationalities, will continue to operate within an architecture designed to keep them politically docile, economically dependent, and structurally subordinated. Thus, beyond the call to “reach for it,” we must first reclaim the foundation upon which the Nigerian Union itself rests.
At the root of Nigeria’s moral and political crisis lies the betrayal of the federal pact agreed upon at independence. The imposition of the 1999 Constitution, an unratified military decree, destroyed the delicate balance that once allowed every region and ethnic nationality—Christian, Muslim, or traditionalist—to govern their affairs with dignity. It is this distortion, not religion per se, that enables the perpetuation of injustice under new guises. Whether in the form of a Muslim/Muslim ticket or the monopolization of federal appointments, the same fundamental defect remains: a centralized structure that privileges power blocs over people. True federalism, rooted in ethnic autonomy and regional equity, is therefore not an ethnic or Christian demand—it is a justice demand. The Christian North must see its struggle not as a denominational battle, but as part of the broader national liberation from unitary suffocation.
The tragedy of the present Nigerian state is that religion has become the substitute for justice, and faith the cover for impunity. Christians, particularly in the Middle Belt, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, and Southern Kaduna, have borne the cross of injustice—massacres, land dispossession, political exclusion, and systemic denial—under successive regimes that swore by the same Constitution that legalizes inequality. Yet the answer lies not in competing in the politics of domination but in restructuring the very framework that permits it. Ethnic restructuring, anchored on the equality of nationalities, will allow each people to develop politically, economically, and culturally without fear of annihilation. It will ensure that religious diversity is a source of moral strength, not political subjugation. Under such a system, merit and justice, not religious alignment, will determine leadership.
Indeed, the Christian voice must evolve from mere protest to structural proposition. It is not enough to call for Christian unity or a faith-based lobby; what must be built is a political theology of justice—one that insists on a constitutional rebirth where every nationality, faith, and community stands on equal ground. This demands courage to confront the fraudulent federalism that currently subdues the will of the people and redistributes power through arbitrary boundaries and imposed censuses. The moral credibility of the Church, when fused with the political consciousness of the people, can become a formidable force for restructuring Nigeria into a genuine federation of equals. For every Plateau, every Southern Kaduna, every Agatu and Bokkos, there must be a constitutional line of protection, ensuring that no people are left at the mercy of predatory majoritarianism masquerading as democracy.
Therefore, while the Reach-for-It Project is commendable, it must be redefined as part of a larger Reclaim-It Movement—to reclaim justice, true federalism, and the rights of every indigenous people from the grip of an unjust system. The Christian must not only reach for political participation but reclaim the moral soul of Nigeria’s politics through a People’s Constitution born of genuine consent, rooted in the 1963 model but modernized for today’s realities. Only then will religion cease to be a weapon, and the cross cease to symbolize political suffering. Until Nigeria is restructured along ethnic and federating lines, every election will merely rearrange the instruments of injustice. The destiny of Christians and all oppressed peoples, therefore, lies not just in voting differently, but in rebuilding differently—on the foundations of justice, truth, and self-determination.
