Islamic Cleric Defends Muslim-Muslim Ticket, Says He Has No Regrets

Sheikh Muhammad Jingir, Chairman of the Ulama Council of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’ikamatis Sunnah, has defended his support for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, saying he has no regrets about his position.

Jingir made the statement in an interview with the BBC published on Wednesday, following criticism of his recent comments during a wedding ceremony organised by the Kano State Government for 1,500 couples whose marriages it sponsored.

The cleric had called for the continued adoption of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket and urged Muslims to vote in a way that reflects their numerical strength.

Jingir clarified that his position was not specifically about President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima. He said he had supported the idea long before the current administration and expected his comments to attract criticism.

He maintained that his advocacy was based on what he described as the interests and challenges facing Nigerian Muslims.

“I am not promoting Tinubu, I am promoting Islam,” Jingir said, stressing that his position was based on his religious convictions.

He also argued that Christians had the right to encourage their followers to vote for candidates they believed in, adding that Muslims equally had the right to advise one another on how to exercise their voting rights.

According to him, his comments should not provoke anyone because he was simply expressing his opinion and advising people based on what he believed was right.

Jingir said his support for the Muslim-Muslim ticket was rooted in the Islamic principle that “a Muslim is a brother to a Muslim.”

He added that he had evidence supporting his position and would continue speaking about it despite criticism.

The cleric acknowledged that his views would continue to attract opposition but said he was not concerned about the reactions.

Jingir was among prominent Islamic scholars who supported Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election after Tinubu selected Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as his running mate.

The 2023 election resulted in Nigeria’s first Muslim president and Muslim vice-president since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.

The Muslim-Muslim ticket remains a major subject of political debate as Nigeria approaches the 2027 presidential election.