Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahya Jingir, has sparked debate after calling for the continued adoption of Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Jingir made the call at an event attended by some All Progressives Congress governors, including Abba Yusuf (Kano) and Umar Namadi (Jigawa State), according to a video going viral on Sunday.

The cleric praised President Bola Tinubu for promoting the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 presidential election and said he remained a strong advocate of the arrangement.

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

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

Jingir acknowledged opposition to the arrangement from Christians and other religious groups but questioned whether his advocacy amounted to wrongdoing.

“I am aware that some are embittered by this word. 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?” he said.

“Have I stopped the Christians from their own slogans? Have I stopped traditionalists from a similar campaign?”

The cleric reiterated his position, saying, “But as a Muslim, I repeat it, Muslim-Muslim! No going back on this.”

Responding to arguments that Nigeria is a democracy with citizens from different religious backgrounds, Jingir questioned whether those making such arguments represented non-Muslims.

“Some would say ‘it’s a democracy and there are people who are not Muslims,’ are you their spokesperson?” he asked.

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

Jingir also urged those at the event to prepare for the elections by obtaining their Permanent Voter Cards.

“I urge all of us here to go and get our voters’ cards ready. Let’s show the infidels their limit, who claim they are more populous than us in Nigeria. They are lying!” he said.

He attributed the previous electoral defeat of opponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket to his position 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.”

Jingir subsequently declared his support for Muslim-Muslim candidates and called on Muslims to follow suit.

“Therefore my vote is for a Muslim-Muslim candidate! What about you, the Muslim umma?”

The remarks have drawn attention, with critics criticising the cleric on social media, describing the comments as divisive and inappropriate for Nigeria’s multi-religious society.

Reacting, Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, said Jingir’s comments were “highly provocative” and warned against what he described as extremist rhetoric.

“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 on Sunday.

“Worse of all is the fact that it is highly provocative. Kindly take note that it is a very slippery and dangerous slope to take and is best avoided.”

He said Nigeria was neither a Muslim nor Christian country, describing it as a secular and multi-religious state.

“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.

Fani-Kayode said his support for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027 was based on the candidates’ qualities rather than their religion.

“We are supporting a Muslim/Muslim ticket for 2027, as we did in 2023, only because of the calibre, ability, sincerity of purpose, character, utility and electoral strength of our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and their ability to deliver and not because they are Muslims,” he said.

He added that Nigeria could have a Christian-Christian ticket in the future and urged Nigerians to focus on issues, policies and personalities rather than religion.

“We must not allow this issue to divide our ranks. We are NIGERIANS before being Christian or Muslim and we must not only stand as ONE but also go to the polls as ONE,” he said.

Some users, however, defended the political viability of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

One X user, #Abdulrasheed_SB, said every Nigerian, regardless of religion, had the right to aspire to the presidency.

“Christian or Muslim, every Nigerian has the right to aspire to the presidency. No religion owns Nigeria. Religious bigotry has no place in our democracy equal rights, equal opportunity, one Nigeria,” the user wrote.

Another user, #Sheff4real, argued that while the approach might be inappropriate in some parts of the country, “that’s the way to go in the North.”