The Jigawa State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the reported endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term by about 500 Islamic scholars and religious leaders.
This was just as it described the development as unfortunate and contrary to the principles of Islam.
The party said the endorsement, which reportedly took place during the Northern Muslim Intellectual Forum in Dutse, Jigawa State, should not be presented as a religious verdict or as the position of Nigeria’s Muslim community.
In a statement signed by its Youth Ambassador, North, and Deputy Chairman in Jigawa State, Ambassador Nuraddeen Suleiman Jidawa, the ADC said it was concerned that religious leaders were being drawn into partisan politics.
“We reject the endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term by over 500 Islamic scholars, clerics and preachers who gathered in Dutse at the weekend, because such actions have clearly violated the principles of religious teachings,” the party said.
The ADC urged Islamic scholars and clerics to preserve their independence, arguing that political influence, financial considerations and access to power should not compromise their moral authority or credibility.
It also challenged some of the claims reportedly contained in the communiqué issued after the meeting, particularly the assertion that the Tinubu administration initiated the Kano-Dutse/Kano-Maradi railway project.
According to the opposition party, the project was approved and awarded by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021, before Tinubu assumed office.
The ADC therefore challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to identify major capital projects initiated and substantially executed by the Tinubu administration in Jigawa State.
The party also disputed claims of significant improvement in security across the country, particularly in the North-West.
It cited reported incidents of kidnapping and terrorist attacks in Kaduna, Sokoto and Zamfara states, arguing that such developments contradicted any suggestion that the country’s security challenges had been resolved.
The ADC further referenced an August 24 report by Al Jazeera concerning a video purportedly showing a large number of abducted persons being held by armed men following the reported abduction of hundreds of worshippers in Niger State.
The party said the reported incidents made it “irresponsible” for anyone to portray Nigeria’s security situation as settled.
On the economy, the ADC blamed the removal of the petrol subsidy for worsening transportation, food and other living costs, urging Nigerians to assess the Tinubu administration based on measurable outcomes in security, economic welfare, employment, infrastructure, transparency and accountability.
The party stressed that it respected the right of individual clerics to make political choices but warned against presenting such choices as binding religious positions.
“While we respect the political choices of individual clerics, their endorsements should not be presented as religious verdicts or as representing Nigeria’s Muslim community,” the ADC said.
The controversy followed a statement by President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, who said about 500 Islamic scholars and religious leaders had endorsed the President for re-election in 2027.
Masari disclosed this after attending the Northern Muslim Intellectual Forum at the Sir Ahmadu Bello Hall, New Secretariat, Dutse.
The forum reportedly attracted Islamic scholars, intellectuals, religious leaders and other stakeholders from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory to discuss security, socio-economic and developmental challenges confronting the region.
Those reported to have attended included Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, and Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaka Darma, were also listed among the participants.
According to Masari’s account, the participants expressed satisfaction with Tinubu’s approach to the challenges facing the North and acknowledged what they described as progress under his administration.
The forum subsequently passed a resolution endorsing Tinubu for another term in office and called on Nigerians, particularly Northerners, to support his re-election and other APC candidates in the forthcoming elections.
However, the ADC maintained that religious leaders should remain neutral and preserve their credibility by separating religious authority from partisan political endorsements.
