‘I stand by my position, Muslims have suffered enough’ — Sheikh Jingir responds to criticism

The National Chairman of the Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah (JIBWIS), Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahya Jingir, has reaffirmed his support for Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Jingir said he stood by his position despite the controversy generated by his recent remarks on the country’s political direction and the historical experiences of Muslims in Nigeria.

The cleric argued that Christians were also free to call on their supporters to vote for candidates who shared their interests.

“I wonder how Nigerian Christians would call for voting for their own, but somebody will say I have no right to ask for whom we should vote for,” he said.

Jingir said his support for Muslim-Muslim tickets was informed by what he described as the experiences of Muslims in Plateau State.

“Voting Muslim-Muslim tickets is what I stand on because we have suffered enough in the hands of Christians in Plateau State,” he said.

The cleric alleged that Muslims in parts of the state had suffered discrimination and questioned the fairness of past electoral processes.

He said, “In my state, which we were there before its creation as a state, Christians said we don’t belong and that we should be expelled; and I can tell you in one area where we have dominance, we counted 100,000 votes for a councillor, but in another area, they counted 15,000 votes for a person that went to National Assembly. Where is justice in this?”

‘It Didn’t Start With Tinubu’

Jingir clarified that his advocacy for Muslim-Muslim tickets was not specifically about President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

“My Muslim-Muslim ticket is not on Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, but anybody who believes in what I believe in, on the fact that Nigeria Muslims have suffered enough with their leaders being killed,” he said.

He denied making statements beyond his call for Nigerian Muslims to exercise their voting rights and support candidates they believe in.

“What I said on the day is what I stand on,” he said.

Jingir also referenced historical events involving prominent Nigerian leaders, including the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, while explaining his position.

He alleged that some Christians had historically opposed Muslim leaders and said such experiences had influenced his views.

Jingir maintained that his position on Muslim-Muslim tickets predated the 2023 presidential election.

“My calls and position on Muslim-Muslim tickets is a long-time thing; it didn’t start with Tinubu. But because he was the one who accepted it, that is why I will continue to talk about him and voting for him, and this is my personal opinion,” he said.

His remarks come amid renewed debate over religious considerations in Nigerian politics ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political and religious figures divided over the implications of Muslim-Muslim and Muslim-Christian presidential tickets.

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