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Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has criticised comments by Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir advocating the continued use of Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets in Nigeria. Jingir reportedly argued that Muslims constitute the majority of the Nigerian population and questioned why a Christian should necessarily be included on a presidential ticket. Fani-Kayode described the comments as “highly provocative” and warned that rhetoric based on religious dominance could deepen divisions in an already religiously sensitive country.
Fani-Kayode said he has great respect for Jingir but disagreed strongly with what he characterised as extremist and unhelpful rhetoric. He argued that Nigeria’s political leadership should not be determined by religious superiority or numerical calculations, stressing the importance of national unity and inclusion. His reaction comes as political parties and political figures begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the question of whether presidential candidates should adopt same-faith or interfaith tickets likely to remain a major political issue.
The controversy also highlights the continuing debate surrounding President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who formed Nigeria’s first successful Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket at the federal level since 1993. Fani-Kayode himself previously defended the arrangement, saying in 2022 that Christians should not fear the ticket and that Nigeria could not be Islamised through the choice of candidates. However, his latest comments focus on the need to avoid religiously charged rhetoric and ensure that political competition does not further inflame religious divisions across the country.
