Islamic clerics urge restraint over the 2027 same-faith ticket, saying competence, fairness and unity should outweigh religious politics

Islamic leaders including the Wakeelul Muslimeen of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, Sheikh Iskil Awwal, National Missioner of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdurrahman Ahmad, and Jama’atu Ta’awunil Muslimeen founder Sheikh Daood Molaasan have cautioned Muslim leaders against inflammatory rhetoric over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s same-faith ticket, warning that provocative comments could damage the President’s prospects in the 2027 election.

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Their interventions came after renewed controversy over the decision by the All Progressives Congress to retain the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket for the 2027 poll.

The APC formally confirmed Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate in July, ending speculation that the President could select a Northern Christian for the position.

The debate intensified after Kaduna-based Islamic cleric Sheikh Sani Jingir reportedly argued that the Muslim-Muslim ticket and Tinubu’s 2023 victory demonstrated that Muslims outnumber Christians in Nigeria.

Awwal, however, urged Nigerians to look beyond religious identity and concentrate on the country’s more pressing challenges, including economic hardship and insecurity.

“In the 1970s, Nigeria was among the countries providing financial aid to countries in the Middle East. But the reverse is the case now. At this time, the country needs someone who can move it forward, not religion,” he said.

Awwal recalled that he was among Muslim clerics and prominent South-West figures who travelled to Sokoto in 2022 to seek support for Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

The delegation included traditional rulers such as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, alongside political figures including former APC National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande and former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole.

He said the intervention demonstrated the importance of cooperation across religious and regional lines, arguing that political rhetoric should not undermine such relationships.

“Muslims are not the only people living in Nigeria. We should be wary of any action that could diminish the chances of President Tinubu,” Awwal said.

He called for restraint among Muslim leaders and urged Nigerians to prioritise national development, competence and unity.

Religious identity versus performance

Ahmad similarly sought to separate the religious composition of the presidential ticket from the broader question of governance.

He said Jingir was entitled to his personal opinion but stressed that his comments should not be interpreted as representing the position of all Nigerian Muslims.

For Ahmad, the more important questions concern whether government appointments are fair, whether citizens are adequately represented and whether those in power are delivering effective governance.

“What is important is to interrogate the fairness, representativeness, effectiveness and decency of those who lay claim to this,” Ahmad said.

He questioned whether the Muslim community had received any special advantage simply because both the President and Vice President are Muslims.

“What advantage has the Muslim community gained from this Muslim-Muslim ticket? It is a political winning formula, no more, no less,” he said.

The same argument has featured prominently in the wider debate since the APC announced that Tinubu and Shettima would seek another mandate together.

Several political stakeholders have similarly argued that competence and performance should take precedence over religious identity, while critics maintain that the same-faith arrangement does not adequately reflect Nigeria’s religious diversity.

Ahmad also pointed to recent engagement between the government and Christian leaders, arguing that economic hardship should not automatically be reframed as a religious dispute.

He cited a recent visit by Catholic bishops to the President, saying their concerns focused primarily on the economic difficulties facing ordinary Nigerians rather than the composition of the presidential ticket.

“Everything must not be given a religious colouration,” Ahmad said.

Warning against provocative comments

Molaasan delivered perhaps the clearest warning to supporters of the same-faith arrangement, saying Muslim leaders should avoid statements that could alienate Christians or other religious communities.

“Muslim leaders should exercise caution on this Muslim-Muslim ticket. They need not utter any statement that will be considered offensive to Christians or others. Islam preaches unity and respect,” he said.

He argued that even those who regard the arrangement as politically beneficial should recognise the potential consequences of inflammatory rhetoric.

“If we consider the Muslim-Muslim ticket as favourable, we need to be careful in our utterances and activities. Offensive statements are likely to hurt the government or the person we are trying to protect,” Molaasan added.

His comments reflect a broader concern over the role of religion in Nigeria’s increasingly competitive 2027 political environment.

The issue has remained politically sensitive since Tinubu selected Shettima in 2022. Although the ticket survived intense criticism and subsequently won the 2023 election, its retention has reopened arguments over religious balance, inclusion and electoral strategy.

Some political actors have defended the arrangement on the grounds of competence and electoral pragmatism, while others say Nigeria’s religious diversity requires greater balance in the country’s highest political offices. (Vanguard News)

The latest comments from the Islamic leaders therefore represent a significant attempt to prevent the debate from becoming an inflammatory contest between Muslims and Christians.

Their position is also consistent with recent efforts by Nigerian religious leaders to promote interfaith harmony. More than 50 Muslim and Christian leaders signed a peace accord in Abuja on August 13, pledging to promote religious tolerance and curb hate speech as the country moves towards the 2027 presidential election.

President Tinubu has also repeatedly called for interfaith dialogue and cooperation, describing peaceful engagement among Nigeria’s religious communities as important to addressing the country’s security challenges.

With the 2027 contest approaching, the competing arguments are unlikely to disappear. For Awwal, Ahmad and Molaasan, however, the immediate priority is clear: political disagreement should not be allowed to harden into religious division.

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Their warning places the emphasis on a potentially decisive question for the Tinubu Muslim-Muslim ticket: whether supporters can defend the arrangement on the basis of performance and competence without turning religious identity into a source of further division.