By Our Correspondent
The Pan-Middlebelt Movement for Tinubu/Shettima (PMMTS) has condemned the reported statement by Sheikh Yahaya Jingir urging Muslims to mobilise their votes to sustain a Muslim-Muslim ticket and allegedly describing Nigeria as a Muslim country.
In a statement, the group described the remarks as divisive and inconsistent with the constitutional character of Nigeria, insisting that the country belongs to all Nigerians irrespective of religion, ethnicity, region or political affiliation.
The movement said reducing the 2027 presidential election to a contest between Muslims and Christians would undermine national unity and distract from issues of competence, governance, development and national interest.
It recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election with support from Nigerians across religious and ethnic divides, including Christians who voted for him despite the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
According to the group, the 2023 election demonstrated that Nigerians could place competence, experience and national interest above religious considerations.
The PMMTS said it was particularly concerned that inflammatory remarks portraying Christians as outsiders could alienate millions of Nigerians and undermine public confidence in the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“If Sheikh Jingir genuinely believes in the Muslim-Muslim ticket, he should sell its achievements and policy merits to Nigerians rather than suggest that Christians are guests in their own country,” the group said.
It urged religious leaders to exercise restraint and responsibility in their public statements as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
The movement also called on Jingir to retract and clarify the reported statement that Christians who reject a Muslim-Muslim ticket should leave Nigeria, describing such a declaration as offensive to the citizenship rights and dignity of millions of Nigerians.
It further urged political parties and aspirants to focus their campaigns on records, policies, competence and vision rather than religious or ethnic mobilisation.
The group cited Sections 38 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantee freedom of religion and protection against discrimination, respectively.
The PMMTS reaffirmed its support for President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, saying it would continue to mobilise Nigerians across religious and ethnic lines for a peaceful, united and progressive Nigeria.
The movement maintained that the 2027 election should be about the future of Nigeria rather than “a census of Muslims against Christians, northerners against southerners, or one ethnic nationality against another.”
“Nigeria is greater than any religion, ethnic group, political party or individual. Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians,” the statement added.
