Muslim cleric Jingir’s Muslim-Muslim ticket outburst sparks outrage
●Christians, Muslims, politicians condemn remarks; warn of electoral backlash for APC
By Emmanuel Ntekim
The raging debate over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket has taken a fresh and controversial turn following remarks by Islamic scholar and Chairman of the Council of Scholars of the Izala Movement Worldwide, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir.
Jingir’s comments over the weekend, in which he reportedly urged Muslims to sustain their support for the Muslim-Muslim political arrangement and suggested that those uncomfortable with it should leave Nigeria, have triggered condemnation from Christian leaders, Muslim stakeholders and political figures across the country.
The controversy comes as political parties and politicians begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with religious identity expected to remain a major factor in the nation’s political discourse.
Jingir reportedly made the remarks during a mass wedding ceremony and political gathering organised by the Kano State Government.
In a viral video of the event, the Islamic scholar, speaking in Hausa, reportedly argued that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election demonstrated the numerical strength of Muslims over Christians in Nigeria.
He consequently advocated the continuation of the Muslim-Muslim political arrangement involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The cleric reportedly went further to suggest that Nigerians unhappy with what he described as Muslim governance should leave the country.
While the remarks have since sparked widespread reactions, with critics accusing the cleric of promoting religious division and warning that such comments could have political consequences for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Presidency has kept a loud silence.
‘Nigeria is for all’
Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. Joseph John Hayab, condemned the remarks, saying they exposed what he described as longstanding religious concerns among northern Christians.
Former Minister of Aviation and Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, also rejected the cleric’s position,
Fani-Kayode describing the comments as provocative, untrue and dangerous, stressing that Nigeria is a secular and multi-religious nation. He called on the Islamic scholar to apologise to the Christian community.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, also took exception to Jingir’s argument. Dalung said Nigeria should not be reduced to a religious trophy, arguing that the quality of governance should be measured by its impact on citizens rather than the religion of those occupying political offices.
In a statement shared on his Facebook page, Dalung criticised the argument that Muslims should continue supporting the Muslim-Muslim ticket because they are supposedly more numerous than Christians.
He also condemned the reported call for Muslims to “show infidels their limit.” According to him, such language is dangerous in a country where citizens of different faiths live and work together.
Dalung argued that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would not automatically put food on a Muslim family’s table, secure a kidnapped farmer, provide quality education, reduce the cost of food, fuel or medicine, create employment or fix bad roads.
He maintained that Nigerians should demand competent leadership, irrespective of religious affiliation.
‘Religious arithmetic’
Dalung further asked who the “infidels” referred to in the statement were, noting that Nigeria is made up of citizens from different religious backgrounds who share communities, businesses, public institutions and national responsibilities.
He warned against turning Nigeria into a religious battlefield.
“If a Muslim-Muslim ticket is supposed to be defended on the basis of competence, justice, security, economic progress and good governance, then defend it on those grounds,” he argued.
“But if the argument has now become ‘we are more in number, therefore we should dominate,’ then we have moved from democracy into religious arithmetic.”
He stressed that Nigeria belongs to Muslims, Christians and citizens who do not subscribe to either religion, adding that no Nigerian should be made to feel inferior because of his or her faith.
‘It can sink Nigeria’
Political strategist and Group Chief Executive Officer of Global Investment and Trade Company, Baba Yusuf, also reacted to the controversy. Yusuf reportedly described Jingir’s position as his personal opinion, arguing that it should not be taken as the position of all Muslims.
He described the remarks as religious bigotry capable of aggravating the country’s existing religious fault lines and threatening national unity.
Kwankwaso weighs in
Former Kano State Governor and presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, also condemned the controversial remarks.
Kwankwaso, who is the vice presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democrstic Party (NDC), said statements capable of promoting division and disunity should be discouraged, particularly at a critical period in the nation’s history.
He expressed concern that such comments were coming from a religious leader with considerable influence.
Kwankwaso also insisted that the people of Kano did not endorse or support the remarks.
He said political and religious leaders had a responsibility to promote truth, unity and reconciliation rather than make statements capable of undermining the foundation of Nigeria’s nationhood.
According to him, the 2027 general elections will give Nigerians the opportunity to reward good governance with their votes and reject poor performance at the polls.
“The administration has earned the latter,” he stated.
2027: Religion takes centre stage
The controversy has once again pushed the Muslim-Muslim ticket to the centre of Nigeria’s political conversation.
While supporters of the Tinubu-Shettima arrangement have continued to defend it as a political choice rather than a religious project, critics insist that statements presenting the ticket as a victory of one faith over another could deepen religious polarisation.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, political observers say the ability of political parties to address issues such as insecurity, unemployment, poverty, inflation, infrastructure, healthcare and education may ultimately determine how Nigerians vote.
For many Nigerians, therefore, the central question may not be whether a candidate is Muslim or Christian, but whether the candidate can provide effective, accountable and inclusive governance.
