The incendiary sermon by a prominent Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir on Muslim-Muslim presidency, where he claimed that Muslims constitute the majority of Nigerians, has come under serious condemnations.
Jingir made the call at an event attended by some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, including Abba Yusuf (Kano) and Umar Namadi (Jigawa State), according to a video going viral last Sunday.
Speaking at the event in Kano, Jingir, said: “Special thanks to my (political) hero, Bola Tinubu, who raised the flag of this political ideology, describing it as a purely Muslim-Muslim coalition.”
Jingir attributed the previous electoral defeat of opponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket to his position on the issue.
“If it wasn’t for my stance on a Muslim-Muslim ticket, somebody would have claimed they are more populous than us. But by the grace of Allah, we defeated them so ignominiously that they did not even make it to the second place in the polls, did they? They came third after all.”
Jingir subsequently declared his support for Muslim-Muslim candidates and called on Muslims to follow suit.
“Therefore, my vote is for a Muslim-Muslim candidate! What about you, the Muslim umma?”
The remarks have drawn attention, with critics describing the comments as divisive and inappropriate for Nigeria’s multi-religious society.
Reacting, Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, said Jingir’s comments were “highly provocative” and warned against what he described as extremist rhetoric.
“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 on Sunday.
“Worse of all is the fact that it is highly provocative. Kindly take note that it is a very slippery and dangerous slope to take and is best avoided.”
He said Nigeria was neither a Muslim nor Christian country, describing it as a secular and multi-religious state.
Unfortunately, many Nigerians are shocked that the Presidency has not condemned and disowned such dangerous utterances that are capable of stoking religious tension ahead of the 2027 elections.