Nollywood actor wades into Nigeria election row

Veteran Nollywood actor Kenneth Okonkwo has weighed in on the debate surrounding the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is currently in power in Nigeria, running a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the country's 2019 presidential election.

In defiance of the custom for presidential candidates to pick a running mate from a different religion to promote unity in the country—which is divided into a predominantly Muslim north and a majority Christian south—APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu announced on Sunday that he had chosen fellow Muslim Senator Kashim Shetima as his running mate.

By suggesting that Nigerian Muslims would not support a northern Christian candidate, Okonkwo claimed the action had led him to resign from the APC.

If allowed to stand, Okonkwo wrote on Instagram, "This will permanently ruin the political viability of northern Christians in Nigeria."

Christian organizations have vowed not to support the APC as a result of the decision's uproar in a nation where there are rising religious and ethnic conflicts.

However, Mr. Tinubu defended his decision, saying that he preferred expertise and integrity before religion.