An Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahaya Jingir, has caused a stir with provocative statements urging Muslims never to vote a Christian into power and describing Christians as infidels.
Jingir is the National Chairman of the Council of Ulama of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS, Jos faction), one of the largest Islamic organizations in Nigeria.
He made the statements at a recent political event in Kano State attended by prominent figures, including Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi.
Speaking derisively against Christians, the Islamic cleric emphasized to his audience in the Hausa language that they must continue to support and sustain the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to him, the ticket is important because “it proves and demonstrates to everyone that Muslims are more numerous than Christians in Nigeria.”
Coming down hard on non-Muslims, he said Muslims must stand firm and show the infidels (kafirai) their limits.
His words, “Here, I urge you to prepare your votes. Let us show the world that the infidels are lying when they say they outnumber us. Show the infidels their limit.
“Nigeria is a Muslim country, and if you don’t want to accept a Muslim-Muslim ticket, you should leave Nigeria because it belongs to us. If not for the Muslim-Muslim ticket, Christians in Nigeria would think they are more than us. This is why we must make sure the Muslim-Muslim ticket continues to succeed so that our dominance remains sustained,” he stated.
His comments have sparked a flurry of reactions, with critics describing the cleric as an extremist whose wings should be clipped.
Prophet Isa El-Buba took to his social media handle to issue a broadcast on the matter, urging moderate Muslims to call the Sheikh to order. He warned that Jingir’s statements have the potential to trigger unnecessary religious tension across the country.
Seething with anger while condemning the cleric, El-Buba noted that he had personally rendered assistance to nearly 10,000 Muslims unrelated to him across northern Nigeria. He wondered why an Islamic cleric would make such inflammatory statements capable of fanning the embers of religious conflict.
El-Buba stated that individuals like Sheikh Jingir should be arrested by security agents, adding that the Governor of Kano State appeared to be enjoying the speech.
Describing the Sheikh as a representation of how many northerners think, El-Buba remarked: “The North has the highest number of Muslims, yet there is so much poverty in the region. Are you not ashamed that banditry and criminality are prevalent here in the North? It is here in the North that we have the highest number of drug addicts.”
He then urged moderate Muslims to disassociate themselves from Sheikh Jingir and his peers due to the negative image they project.
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode also condemned the action on his social media page. He revealed that he had received over 100 frantic calls and messages of deep concern from both Christians and Muslims over the weekend after Sheikh Yahaya Jingir’s comments at the Kano event were made public.
He emphasized that he would not “keep quiet and watch our faith dragged through the mud because of politics. Matters of faith and salvation are far more important than anything we see or get in this world. Politics and earthly power come and go, but faith and the afterlife are eternal.”
According to Fani-Kayode, “Jingir is not only feeding into a false narrative with his reckless words, but he is also endangering the chances of our candidates in the 2027 presidential election because, to win, we need BOTH Muslim AND Christian votes.”
He added that the cleric “does not represent the sentiments of the APC, nor does he speak for us. He only speaks for himself.”
Fani-Kayode called on the Department of State Services (DSS) to invite and caution the cleric before he sets the country ablaze, stating: “Christians are NOT infidels; we are believers. NOBODY is going anywhere because this is our country.
“Nigeria is NOT a Muslim country, nor is it a Christian country. Sheikh Jingir does NOT represent or reflect the thinking of the majority of Nigerian Muslims, but only a tiny minority of extremists. Sheikh Jingir has done immense damage to President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima by speaking in this manner, and I suspect he is secretly working against them.”
A Muslim TikToker, King M Faisal, condemned Jingir’s outburst against Christians while calling on President Bola Tinubu to call him to order. He described Jingir’s remarks as some of the most provocative statements in recent memory, expressing concern that religious leaders would use language capable of dividing Nigerians and shattering national peace.
Commenting on the issue, Lagos-based lawyer Deji Adeyanju urged the government to take steps to stop individuals like Jingir from further polarizing the country along religious lines.
Adeyanju emphasized in a news report that “Nigeria is a pluralistic, multi-religious society with a secular constitution,” warning that using religious platforms to declare numerical dominance or threaten non-Muslims jeopardizes peace and interfaith harmony.