2027 polls: NHRC, CAN, PFN, Kwankwaso knock Sheikh Jingir

Nigerian human rights bodies and religious organizations have strongly criticized Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahaya Jingir for remarks perceived as inciting religious hatred and division. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) are among those demanding action against the cleric.

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The commission finds these remarks to be hate speech and incitement to religious hatred and potential violence. At a time we are preparing for another general election, such utterances are reckless and dangerous. They serve no purpose other than to divide Nigerians along religious lines and set citizens against one another.

The controversy stems from statements allegedly made by Sheikh Jingir in Kano, where he reportedly justified the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket for the upcoming 2027 elections and asserted that Muslims should dominate Christians due to their numerical superiority. These comments have drawn widespread condemnation from various sectors.

The NHRC, in particular, has called on the Federal Government to immediately arrest and prosecute Sheikh Jingir for hate speech. The commission's Executive Secretary, Chief Tony Ojukwu, SAN, described the cleric's alleged remarks, captured in a viral video, as "hateful and inciting." He noted that Jingir's use of derogatory language and his call for supporters to obtain voter cards to "show their limit" constitute a direct attack on Nigeria's constitutional principles of equality and non-discrimination.

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We cannot afford to look away. If we fail to speak and act now, we embolden both Christian and Muslim clerics and other influential persons to make worse statements in the coming months. That path leads only to crisis.

Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, have also joined the chorus of criticism. The NHRC warned that failure to act against such divisive rhetoric could embolden other religious leaders and influential figures, potentially leading to widespread crisis and setting citizens against one another. The commission implored all Nigerians to reject identity politics and hold leaders accountable based on competence and service delivery.

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Prosecution must proceed irrespective of status or political affiliation.