Tinubu-Shettima ticket created to defraud Nigerians — Adebayo

…Says Prophet warned Muslims against using religion for politics

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2027 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has described the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election as a political strategy designed to exploit religious sentiments.

Adebayo said Nigerians were not interested in religious considerations ahead of the 2027 presidential election, but rather in electing a leader who is competent, just and capable of addressing the country’s challenges.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, the SDP candidate described the President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ticket as a “zero-zero ticket,” arguing that leadership in Islam is based on justice and competence rather than religious identity.

“There is nothing like the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Even when the contraption was brought up four years ago and I was in Kano, I was asked the same question while meeting with the Ulamas.

“I told them that if you are hoping for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, you will be lucky to even have a single Muslim out of the two,” he said.

Adebayo argued that from the perspective of many Muslims, the ticket had not delivered the expected benefits associated with the religious identity of the candidates.

“It turned out now that it’s not a Muslim-Muslim ticket. From the point of view of Muslims in Nigeria, it is a zero-zero ticket because in Islam, what is expected of a leader in Islamic jurisprudence is not the religion of that leader but justice,” he said.

He added that the essence of political participation in Islam was to promote a just society and ensure that public responsibilities were entrusted to capable individuals.

“The reason why Muslims get involved in politics is to have a just society, and there are guidelines in Islamic jurisprudence regarding politics. In Islam, it is expected that if you are a good Muslim, you do not give public office or responsibility to anyone who is not fit for that,” he said.

Adebayo further alleged that the concept of a Muslim-Muslim ticket was introduced to influence voters through religious sentiments rather than based on competence and integrity.

“The whole concept from the beginning was just to defraud the populace by using religious sentiment. What the North and all Nigerians are looking for is a righteous leader, no matter the person,” he said.

The SDP candidate also criticised the APC administration, saying Nigerians were experiencing hardship despite the religious composition of the current leadership.

He cited former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, whom he described as one of the supporters of the arrangement, saying the former governor and his family had also sought justice in recent times.

“So when you say you are looking for a Muslim-Muslim ticket and there is no justice anywhere, even one of the proponents, El-Rufai, who was celebrating it, he and his family are now crying for justice. That is the biggest irony you can have,” he said.

Adebayo maintained that Nigerians were more concerned about good governance, justice and improved living conditions than the religious background of political leaders.

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