Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has criticised Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir, over his call for Muslims to support Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Fani-Kayode described the cleric’s remarks as “highly provocative” and warned that such rhetoric could deepen religious division in the country.
Jingir had declared his continued support for Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets while speaking at an event attended by some All Progressives Congress governors, including Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi.
In a video of the event which went viral on Sunday, the cleric praised President Bola Tinubu for introducing the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 election and urged Muslims to continue supporting the arrangement.
Jingir said he was among the strong supporters of the Muslim-Muslim ticket and called on Muslims to unite behind candidates who shared the same religious background.
“Special thanks to my hero, Bola Tinubu who raised the flag of this political ideology, describing it as a purely Muslim-Muslim coalition,” he said.
“I am among the staunch advocates of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and I call on you to come together for Muslim-Muslim ticket,” the cleric added.
The Muslim-Muslim ticket became one of the major issues in the 2023 presidential election after the APC fielded Tinubu, a Muslim from the South-West, and Kashim Shettima, a Muslim from the North-East, as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
The arrangement attracted strong opposition from some Christian groups and individuals, who argued that a country as religiously diverse as Nigeria should maintain a balance between Christians and Muslims at the highest levels of government.
Supporters of the ticket, however, maintained that candidates should be judged mainly by their competence, character, experience and ability to govern rather than their religion.
Jingir acknowledged the opposition to the arrangement but questioned why Muslims should be prevented from campaigning for candidates who share their faith.
“I am aware that some are embittered by this word. However, are there no Christians alike? Are there no Jews? Are there no traditionalists? Have I done anything wrong by merely campaigning for a Muslim-Muslim ticket?” he asked.
The cleric also said he had no intention of changing his position, declaring, “But as a Muslim, I repeat it, Muslim-Muslim! No going back on this.”
He further questioned arguments that Nigeria was a democracy with citizens from different religious backgrounds.
“Some would say ‘it’s a democracy and there are people who are not Muslims,’ are you their spokesperson?” he asked.
Jingir also urged Muslims present at the gathering to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said Muslims should be prepared to use their votes to demonstrate their numerical strength.
“I urge all of us here to go and get our voters’ cards ready,” he said.
The cleric also claimed that his position on the Muslim-Muslim ticket contributed to the defeat of opponents of the arrangement in the 2023 election.
He subsequently declared his support for Muslim-Muslim candidates and asked other Muslims to do the same.
The remarks have generated reactions on social media, with critics accusing the cleric of making comments capable of worsening religious tensions in the country.
Reacting to the development, Fani-Kayode said he had great respect for Jingir but disagreed with the language used by the cleric.
“I have immense respect for Sheik Jingir but I am constrained to point out that the extremist rhetoric he has indulged in here is most unhelpful and neither is it true,” Fani-Kayode wrote on X.
He described the remarks as “highly provocative” and warned that such statements could take the country down a “slippery and dangerous slope.”
Fani-Kayode stressed that Nigeria was neither a Muslim nor a Christian country but a secular and multi-religious nation.
“Nigeria is NOT a Muslim country and neither is she a Christian country. She is a SECULAR and MULTI-RELIGIOUS state comprising of BOTH Christians and Muslims in equal numbers and that is our strength,” he said.
He also clarified that his own support for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027 was not based on religion.
According to him, his support for the arrangement was based on the quality, ability, character, sincerity and electoral strength of the candidates involved.
“We are supporting a Muslim/Muslim ticket for 2027, as we did in 2023, only because of the calibre, ability, sincerity of purpose, character, utility and electoral strength of our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and their ability to deliver and not because they are Muslims,” he said.
Fani-Kayode argued that Nigeria could also have a Christian-Christian presidential ticket in the future, suggesting that the most important consideration should be the ability of the candidates to govern effectively.
He urged Nigerians not to allow religion to become a source of division as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
The debate over religious balancing in Nigerian politics has remained a major issue, particularly during presidential elections.
Although the Constitution provides for freedom of religion and Nigeria operates as a secular state, religion often plays an important role in political campaigns and voting patterns.
The 2023 presidential election brought the issue into sharper focus because the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket was the first such combination to win a presidential election since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
The ticket was defended by the APC as a choice based on competence and political strategy, while opponents argued that it failed to reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.
As political activities ahead of 2027 continue to gather momentum, religious identity is expected to remain part of the wider debate over presidential candidates and political alliances.
Fani-Kayode, however, called for unity and urged Nigerians to put their national identity above their religious affiliations.
“We must not allow this issue to divide our ranks. We are NIGERIANS before being Christian or Muslim and we must not only stand as ONE but also go to the polls as ONE,” he said.