An Islamic scholar and member of the leadership of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah, Malam Abdulrahaman Nuhu Almaliky, has declared that his support for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s Muslim-Muslim administration is driven by religion, not loyalty to the President.
Almaliky, an ally of prominent Islamic cleric Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, made the declaration while defending the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket and arguing that Muslims stand to benefit from having members of their faith in positions of political authority.
“We are not campaigning for Tinubu; we are campaigning for Islam,” the cleric said.
He went further to illustrate the depth of his preference for Muslim leadership, saying he would rather endure hardship under a Muslim leader than enjoy material comfort under a non-Muslim ruler.
“For me, having a Muslim as leader while I eat grass is better than having an infidel as leader while I eat chicken every day,” he said.
Almaliky argued that Muslim leadership was beneficial to Islam because, in his view, it could prevent or conceal decisions that might be harmful to the religion.
He said many Muslims had failed to consider what he described as the religious advantages of the current administration.
“It is written in one of the books, because an infidel will harm my religion. The fact that you are being governed under a Muslim-Muslim arrangement is beneficial. Ninety per cent of things are covered, while only 10 per cent are revealed, all for our good,” he said.
Jingir’s Controversial Campaign
Almaliky’s comments come shortly after Sheikh Jingir renewed his campaign for Muslim-Muslim political tickets and urged Muslims to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of future elections.
Jingir made the call at a campaign event for Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf tagged “Abba Go Again”, where he declared himself a staunch supporter of Muslim-Muslim tickets.
The cleric questioned why Muslims should be expected to abandon their preference for candidates of the same faith simply because Nigeria is a multi-religious democracy.
He also used the term “infidels” while referring to those opposing Muslim-Muslim political arrangements, a remark that attracted criticism from sections of the public.
Jingir insisted that he would not back down from his position.
His comments have since triggered a fresh debate over the role of religion in Nigeria’s politics, particularly as political actors begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tinubu-Shettima Religious Debate
The Tinubu-Shettima ticket became one of the most contentious issues of the 2023 presidential election after the All Progressives Congress fielded two Muslims for the country’s top two political positions.
Supporters argued that religion should not determine political competence and that the pairing reflected political and electoral considerations.
Critics, however, raised concerns about religious inclusion and argued that the presidency should reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.
Almaliky’s latest comments have now added another dimension to the debate, with the cleric openly placing religious considerations ahead of material benefits in determining his preferred political leadership.
His position is likely to generate further controversy among Nigerians who believe political leadership should be based on competence, constitutional equality and national unity rather than religious identity.
Neither the Presidency nor Sheikh Nurul Khalil, whose earlier comments reportedly preceded Almaliky’s intervention, had publicly responded to the latest remarks at the time of filing this report.
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