By Muazu Elazeh

Like most Nigerian Muslims, let me state without any equivocation that Sheikh Yahaya Sani Jingir—who recently made controversial remarks describing non-Muslims in unacceptable terms—did not speak for me, nor does he represent the majority of the more than 120 million Muslims in Nigeria. Jingir speaks only for himself and his own self-serving motives.

Granted, Sheikh Jingir has the right to his opinion, but when such a view is ill-informed and voiced by someone of his age and social standing, we have a duty to express our concerns. As the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama, Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa’Ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), Sheikh Jingir commands a considerable following. When someone in such a position makes reckless remarks that threaten to worsen our fragile state, well-meaning Nigerians must remind him that having a platform does not give him the right to set the nation ablaze.

Sheikh Jingir’s remarks during the Kano mass wedding amount to hate speech, pure and simple, and could incite religious violence. Such comments should not come from a religious leader of his stature, especially when the country is grappling with deep religious, ethnic, and political divisions.”

In Nigeria in 2026, no cleric should be allowed to make the remarks Sheikh Jingir made about another faith in Kano. No. That is not the kind of speech Nigeria needs at this time or even in the near future. We have seen enough of the consequences of irresponsible religious rhetoric to know that words spoken from the pulpit or at public gatherings can have consequences far beyond the intentions of the person uttering them.

Assuming, without conceding, that the Sheikh was correct in advising Muslims to vote for the APC presidential ticket, what actual benefit has the Muslim-Muslim ticket brought to Muslims? Has the current Muslim-Muslim administration in power ended banditry, kidnappings and other terror activities in Northern Nigeria?

The North, which has Nigeria’s largest Muslim population, has not seen any notable progress under this administration. It has the highest number of multidimensionally poor households, the most children out of school, the greatest security burdens, and some of the lowest development indicators among the country’s regions. These issues have not disappeared simply because the President and his Vice-President share the same religion.

In fact, many of these indicators have worsened since they came to power and began implementing policies that have imposed significant hardship on ordinary Nigerians. Armed banditry, mass abductions, and insurgent attacks have continued to plague rural and urban communities in the North. Farmers, traders, and school children remain frequent targets of criminal networks, proving that a same-faith leadership did not automatically translate to regional security.

This is the point Sheikh Jingir needs to confront honestly. What is the value of a Muslim-Muslim ticket if millions of Muslims remain poor, hungry, and insecure? Good governance, not religion, is what puts food on the table, secures citizens’ lives, and keeps children in school when their parents cannot afford the cost of education.

In 2025 alone, over 4,000 Nigerians lost their lives in violent conflicts across Nigeria. The National Human Rights Commission reported that at least 2,266 Nigerians were killed by bandits in the first half of the year. It also stated that the country experienced a 75 per cent rise in killings across several states in June 2025. These are not abstract statistics. They are human beings. They are farmers who cannot access their farms, parents who cannot sleep peacefully, children who cannot attend school safely, and communities that have been forced to negotiate with criminals simply to survive.

Nevertheless, Sheikh Jingir seems unaware of these alarming statistics and continued to urge Muslims to back a Muslim-Muslim ticket that has failed to improve their conditions. Because the primary duty of government is to protect life and property—a guarantee sadly missing in Nigeria—this stance is troubling.

Today marks 89 days since armed men abducted 42 pupils from Mussa Primary School in Askira-Uba. These children have spent nearly three months in captivity, enduring brutal conditions. Askira-Uba is located in Borno State, a predominantly Muslim state in northeastern Nigeria. I cannot recall hearing Sheikh Jingir making a passionate appeal for their safe return so they can reunite with their grieving families.

Under the Muslim-Muslim ticket that Sheikh Jingir is futilely urging Nigerians to support and return to power for yet another term, insecurity has made life harsh for residents of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina States, all of which are predominantly Muslim states with a combined estimated population of over 30 million people.

So, when Sheikh Jingir asks Muslims to vote on the basis of religion, he should also tell them what they are expected to do when the same government fails to protect them.

A government that caused fuel prices to rise from below ₦200 to over ₦1,200 does not deserve re-election. A government that has continued to take foreign loans recklessly, burdening the nation with debt amid outrageous debt-servicing payments, fails the people. A government that failed to implement the budget properly, woefully failed to address insecurity, and failed to tackle soaring inflation—leaving millions to struggle with the high cost of food, rent, and essential services—does not deserve another term. Voting for it again would mean allowing affliction to rise up the second time.

This isn’t about whether the President and his vice are Muslims. It’s about whether he has governed effectively and delivered on their promises.

Rather than asking Nigerians once again to vote to continue this government despite its obvious failures, I expect Sheikh Jingir, who campaigned vigorously in Mosques and other religious gatherings for this government in 2023, to reconsider his stance, since the government has woefully failed to deliver the so-called Renewed Hope.

The least I expect from the Sheikh is that, instead of endorsing a specific candidate as he did in the last election cycle, which was a colossal failure, he should act as a moral compass and tell the truth to power. The responsibility of a religious leader is not to become a campaigner for a political party or government. His responsibility is to speak for justice, defend the vulnerable, condemn wrongdoing, and remind those in authority that power is a trust.

If God wanted all Nigerians to be Muslims—like the Maldives, that tiny island country which has even adopted Islam as its state religion—He would have done that. But He elected to make Nigeria a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, with each of us having equal rights.

Nigeria cannot afford a situation where religious leaders turn differences in faith into political weapons. We cannot keep telling people that the person they should vote for is determined by the religion they practise rather than the quality of leadership they provide.

Does Sheikh Jingir need to be reminded of Surah Al-Kafirun, the 109th Surah in the Quran, which clearly states, “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion”? Islam teaches how to deal with people of other faiths with justice and good conduct.

The core message should be understood within the context of Nigeria’s diversity. We may worship differently, belong to different ethnic groups, and hold various political opinions, but we remain citizens of the same country.

Instead of making statements that could further deepen existing mistrust, Sheikh Jingir should have focused on calling for quality leadership. He failed to do just that, and Nigerians need to ignore him. Encouragingly, most Nigerian Muslims know Sheikh Jingir and will not be influenced by his rhetoric.

-==Elazeh is the GMD of LEADERSHIP Newspapers and can be reached via: @babanyesme