Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has kicked against the call by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir, for Nigerians to maintain the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the remarks as “highly provocative”.
Sheikh Yahya Jingir had stirred controversy after declaring his support for the continuation of Muslim-Muslim tickets, while praising President Bola Tinubu for introducing the arrangement in the 2023 presidential election.
The cleric made the comments 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 that went viral on Sunday.
Praising Tinubu, Jingir described him as his “political hero” for promoting what he called a Muslim-Muslim political 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 dismissed objections from Christians and other religious groups, questioning why his support for the arrangement should be considered wrong.
According to him, other religious groups also had the right to promote their interests, insisting that Muslims should continue to push for Muslim-Muslim candidates.
“Have I stopped the Christians from their own slogans? Have I stopped traditionalists from a similar campaign?” he asked.
Jingir further declared, “As a Muslim, I repeat it, Muslim-Muslim! No going back on this.”
He also urged supporters to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the 2027 elections, calling on them to use their votes to defend their interests.
The cleric claimed that opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket failed in the 2023 election because of his stance 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,” he said.
The comments triggered reactions on social media, with critics accusing him of promoting religious division in a country with diverse faiths.
Reacting, Fani-Kayode warned against what he described as extremist rhetoric, saying such comments could deepen religious tensions.
“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 added that the remarks were “highly provocative” and urged caution over what he described as a dangerous path.
Fani-Kayode insisted that Nigeria was neither a Muslim nor Christian country but a secular nation made up of people of different faiths.
“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.
The ambassador-designate to South Africa maintained that his support for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027 was based on competence, character and electoral strength, not religion.
He said Nigeria could also have a Christian-Christian ticket in future, urging citizens to focus on issues, policies and leadership qualities rather than religious identity.
