Has Muslim-Muslim Ticket Put Food On Nigerians’ Tables?” – Adeyanju Challenges Cleric

Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has criticised Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir over his recent comments concerning the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Jingir made the remarks at a campaign event in Kano State organised in support of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, where he urged Muslims to support Muslim-Muslim presidential and other political tickets in future elections.

The cleric was quoted as describing non-Muslims as “infidels” and calling on his audience to “show the infidels their limit” at the polls.

While speaking about an attack on a mosque in Kano, Jingir also alleged that members of the Maitatsine movement were “Christians in disguise.”

Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Adeyanju described the cleric’s remarks as divisive, warning that religious rhetoric capable of driving a wedge between Christians and Muslims could further deepen Nigeria’s existing divisions and threaten national unity.

Adeyanju said, “I condemn the recent rhetoric of Sheikh Yahya Jingir and describe same as divisive and capable of fuelling religious tension in our beloved nation.

“Nigeria is a plural society, and our Constitution recognises and protects that plurality. Religious leaders should respect Nigeria’s plurality and use their influence to promote peace and unity rather than sowing discord between Christians and Muslims.”

The lawyer also questioned whether the Muslim-Muslim ticket had delivered tangible benefits to Nigerians, arguing that political leadership should be judged by performance and its impact on citizens rather than religious identity.

“Has the Muslim-Muslim ticket put food on the tables of Nigerians, solved insecurity, unemployment, inflation, or strengthened the Nigerian passport and Nigeria’s standing in the world?

“We must look beyond religion and judge leadership by its impact on our lives as Nigerians,” he said.

Adeyanju warned that rhetoric that pits religious groups against one another could worsen tensions and contribute to separatist movements and other forms of agitation across the country.

“Any rhetoric that pits one faith against another is one that only deepens our divisions and fuels agitations across the country,” he said.

He therefore urged religious leaders and politicians to recognise and respect Nigeria’s religious, cultural and ethnic diversity.

“Clerics and politicians must stop provoking law-abiding citizens and learn to respect our different religions, cultures and ethnicities. Nigeria belongs to all of us,” Adeyanju added.