Jingir's Muslim-Muslim Ticket Call Triggers Backlash From Political, Legal Figures

Sheikh Yahya Jingir has reignited the Muslim-Muslim ticket debate by publicly endorsing the electoral arrangement ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Speaking at separate events—including a mass wedding ceremony in Kano and a gathering with All Progressives Congress governors—the cleric voiced his support for the ticket model and credited President Bola Tinubu for adopting it in 2023.

His statements have drawn swift condemnation from political figures, lawyers, and civil society actors who view his remarks as religiously divisive. Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria's Ambassador-designate to South Africa, described Jingir's position as provocative and strategically damaging.

In public statements, Fani-Kayode warned that such rhetoric could alienate Christian voters and hand opposition parties ammunition to exploit during the 2027 campaign. He underscored that Nigeria's secular constitutional framework requires both Muslim and Christian backing for electoral victory.

Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, similarly condemned the cleric's remarks, describing them as capable of deepening religious tensions in a pluralist nation. Other critics, including Isa Sanusi and Barrister Solomon Dalung, accused Jingir of manipulating his religious authority to advance political interests.

They characterised his use of religious platforms to promote a political candidate as inappropriate and damaging to the integrity of Islam itself. The criticism reflects broader concerns about the intersection of religious leadership and electoral politics in Nigeria.

Jingir has maintained his position, stating at the Kano mass wedding that President Tinubu's selection of a Muslim vice president validated the ticket arrangement. His consistent advocacy at events attended by senior APC officials has amplified visibility for the position, though it remains contested within religious and political circles ahead of 2027.