Former Kano State Governor and vice-presidential candidate to Peter Obi, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has criticised calls for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing such advocacy as divisive and harmful to national unity.
Kwankwaso expressed his position in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kano in reaction to comments attributed to Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, National Chairman of the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), at a recent gathering in the state.
The former governor said he was concerned that a prominent religious leader could make statements capable of deepening religious divisions at a sensitive period in the country’s political development.
“At this critical moment in our nation’s history, statements that promote division and disunity must be firmly discouraged, ” he said.
Kwankwaso said political and religious leaders should use their influence to promote peaceful coexistence rather than encourage Nigerians to view political contests through religious lines.
He also rejected the suggestion that the people of Kano endorsed the position attributed to the cleric.
“Let it be clearly stated: the good people of Kano do not endorse or support these divisive remarks,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s diversity requires leaders to promote reconciliation and unity, warning against rhetoric that could weaken the country’s sense of shared identity.
“We must not lend our voices to utterances capable of undermining the very foundation of our nationhood.”
The former governor also shifted the debate from religious identity to governance, saying the 2027 election would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the performance of the current administration.
He said voters would ultimately determine whether the government deserved another mandate based on its record in office.
“The 2027 general elections will be an opportunity for Nigerians to reward good governance with resounding support and to reject poor performance at the polls, ” he said..
Kwankwaso added that, in his assessment, the present administration had not performed well enough to merit such support.
Sheikh Jingir, however, has refused to withdraw his position and said he had no regrets supporting the Tinubu-Shettima Muslim-Muslim ticket.
In an interview with BBC Hausa monitored in Kano, the JIBWIS leader maintained that his advocacy for Muslim-Muslim tickets was not motivated solely by the emergence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
Speaking earlier at a Hisba mass wedding ceremony in Kano, Jingir reiterated his support for the arrangement and urged Nigerians who shared his conviction to vote accordingly.
“I stand on my position that Nigerians should vote massively for Muslim-Muslim tickets, ” he said.
The cleric argued that he was entitled to his political preference just as Christians and members of other faiths had the right to support candidates of their choice.
Jingir said his position was influenced partly by what he described as the historical marginalisation of Muslims, drawing from his experience in Plateau State.
He recalled tensions he said existed between religious communities before the creation of the state, alleging that Muslims had at some point been told they did not belong and should leave.
He also pointed to what he described as disparities in the distribution of political offices under previous administrations, arguing that such experiences informed his preference for Muslim representation at the highest level of government.
The opposing positions from Kwankwaso and Jingir have added another dimension to the increasingly intense political debate over religious balancing and presidential tickets ahead of the 2027 elections.
