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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Cleric calls for Muslim-Muslim tickets in Nigeria's 2027 elections

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir advocated for the continuation of Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets in Nigeria's 2027 elections.
  • Jingir praised President Bola Tinubu for promoting the ticket in 2023 and urged Muslims to unite behind such candidates.
  • He dismissed opposition from Christians and other groups, questioning their right to object and asserting that Muslims are the majority.

Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir has ignited debate by strongly advocating for the continued use of Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets in Nigeria, particularly in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections. Jingir's remarks, made at an event attended by APC governors, lauded President Bola Tinubu for championing the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 election, describing it as a "purely Muslim-Muslim coalition."

Special thanks to my (political) hero, Bola Tinubu who raised the flag of this political ideology, describing it as a purely Muslim-Muslim coalition.

— Sheikh Yahya JingirJingir praised President Tinubu for promoting the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Jingir declared himself a "staunch advocate" of the arrangement and urged fellow Muslims to unite behind candidates of the same faith. He acknowledged the opposition from Christians and other religious groups but questioned the basis of their objections. "Are there no Christians alike? Are there no Jews? Are there no traditionalists? Have I done anything wrong by merely campaigning for a Muslim-Muslim ticket?" he asked, implying that other religious groups also campaign for their own interests.

I am among the staunch advocates of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and I call on you to come together for Muslim-Muslim ticket.

— Sheikh Yahya JingirJingir urged Muslims to unite behind candidates of the same faith.

He further challenged the notion that Nigeria's democratic principle of majority rule should be interpreted to disadvantage Muslims. "But we pray and observe fasting, and it’s said that the majority carries the votes," he stated, suggesting that Muslim voters should be the decisive factor. Jingir also urged attendees to secure their Permanent Voter Cards, adding, "Let’s show the infidels their limit, who claim they are more populous than us in Nigeria. They are lying!"

However, are there no Christians alike? Are there no Jews? Are there no traditionalists? Have I done anything wrong by merely campaigning for a Muslim-Muslim ticket?

— Sheikh Yahya JingirJingir questioned the opposition to his advocacy for Muslim-Muslim tickets.

The cleric attributed past electoral defeats of opponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket to 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, did they? They came third after all," he claimed. Jingir concluded by declaring his vote for a Muslim-Muslim candidate and imploring the "Muslim umma" to follow suit.

But we pray and observe fasting, and it’s said that the majority carries the votes.

— Sheikh Yahya JingirJingir invoked the principle of majority rule in favor of Muslim voters.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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