Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir has urged Muslims in Kano State to support Muslim-Muslim political tickets and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of future elections.
Jingir spoke at a campaign event for Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf tagged “Abba Go Again”. Governor Yusuf was also present at the event.
In a speech delivered in Hausa, the cleric praised President Bola Tinubu for promoting a Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying he remained a strong advocate of the arrangement.
“Special thanks to my (political) hero, Bola Tinubu who raised the flag of this political ideology, describing it as a purely Muslim-Muslim coalition,” Jingir said.
“I am among the staunch advocates of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and I call on you to come together for Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he added.
Jingir acknowledged opposition to the arrangement from Christians and other religious groups but questioned whether his advocacy amounted to wrongdoing.
“I am aware that the infidels are embittered by this word. However, are there no Christians alike? Are there no Jews? Are there no traditionalists? Have I done anything wrong by merely campaigning for a Muslim-Muslim ticket?” he said, in a viral video.
“Have I stopped the Christians from their own slogans? Have I stopped traditionalists from a similar campaign?”
The cleric reiterated his position, saying: “But as a Muslim, I repeat it, Muslim-Muslim! No going back on this.”
Responding to arguments that Nigeria is a democracy with citizens from different religious backgrounds, Jingir asked whether those making such arguments represented non-Muslims.
“Some would say ‘it’s a democracy and there are people who are not Muslims,’ are you their spokesperson?” he asked.
“But we pray and observe fasting, and it’s said that the majority carries the votes,” he added.
Jingir also urged attendees to prepare for future elections by obtaining their voter cards.
“I urge all of us here to go and get our voters’ cards ready. Let’s show the infidels their limit, who claim they are more populous than us in Nigeria. They are lying!” he said.
He attributed the previous electoral defeat of opponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket to his position on the issue.
“If it wasn’t for my stance on a Muslim-Muslim ticket, somebody would have claimed they are more populous than us. But by the grace of Allah, we defeated them so ignominiously that they did not even make it to the second place in the polls, did they? They came third after all.”
Jingir subsequently declared his support for Muslim-Muslim candidates and called on Muslims to follow suit.
“Therefore my vote is for a Muslim-Muslim candidate! What about you, the Muslim umma?”
He also warned his audience against what he described as people with a “dark history” before making an allegation about the Maitatsine movement and Christians.
“Don’t allow anybody to deceive you. People with a dark history, who are responsible for planting a bomb in our mosque in Kano, calling themselves Maitatsine, the so-called Christians in disguise,” he said.
The Maitatsine movement was a radical Islamic movement that emerged in northern Nigeria decades ago and was associated with violent religious disturbances, particularly during the 1980s.
Jingir also praised what he described as a government that promotes family values, adding that people were converting to Islam in the United States.
“But we here support this kind of government that would establish a family value, spending money to ensure husband and wife and children are growing up. They are even converting to Islam in America,” he said.
