2027: Over 500 Northern Muslim Clerics Endorse Tinubu for Second Term
The Muslim Intellectuals Forum, comprising over 500 Islamic scholars and preachers from northern Nigeria, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing improvements in security and infrastructure development across the region.
DUTSE, Nigeria – The Muslim Intellectuals Forum has urged Nigerians to vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 general election, passing a vote of confidence in his leadership following a closed-door meeting in Dutse, Jigawa State, on Saturday. The forum, a coalition of Islamic preachers, Juma’at imams, academics, and Qur’anic memorisers from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, declared its support after extensive discussions on the state of the nation. The resolution was read to journalists by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muntaka Darma, who said the forum acknowledged improvements in security and infrastructure across northern Nigeria under the Tinubu administration. “The forum agreed that there have been some improvements in terms of all factors and indicators of development in northern Nigeria,” Darma stated.
No fewer than 500 Muslim clerics attended the meeting, including imams, preachers, and Qur’anic memorisers from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Several political leaders also graced the event, including Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu, Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, and Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin. The forum identified infrastructure development, including the rehabilitation of the Kano-Kaduna road, as one of the notable improvements recorded. Darma also cited improved security in several areas, particularly parts of Kaduna, Katsina, and Sokoto states. “Generally, security has improved in the north-eastern states,” he said, while acknowledging that further efforts were still required.
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Despite its endorsement, the forum urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to address security challenges in Niger and Zamfara states. “Although the forum agreed that more needs to be done in Niger, Zamfara and other places, generally security has improved,” Darma said. According to him, the forum subsequently resolved to mobilise support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election. “The forum, therefore, invited the general public to vote for the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the January 2027 election,” he said. Darma described the endorsement as the resolution of the meeting following extensive discussions among participating Muslim intellectuals and religious leaders.
The endorsement comes as political actors intensify mobilisation and consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections. It also follows recent comments by prominent Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahaya Jingir, who reaffirmed his support for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027, describing himself as “one of those who raise the flag of Islam.” Jingir, one of the most influential clerics associated with Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS), made the remarks at a mass wedding celebration in Kano, urging Muslims to vote in large numbers to demonstrate their numerical strength. “I am calling on people to come and let us do Muslim-Muslim again,” he said. He also claimed that in the 2023 election, “when the votes were counted, Allah helped us, and we defeated them.”
The comments have drawn criticism from political figures, including Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa Femi Fani-Kayode, who warned that Jingir’s remarks risked alienating Christian voters and could undermine Tinubu’s re-election bid. “Jingir is not only feeding into that false narrative with his reckless words, but he is also endangering the chances of our candidates in the 2027 presidential election because in order for us to win, we need BOTH Muslim AND Christian votes,” Fani-Kayode said. Former Kano State Governor and NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso also condemned Jingir’s remarks, saying divisive rhetoric should be discouraged at a time when the country requires greater cohesion. “At this critical moment in our nation’s history, statements that promote division and disunity must be firmly discouraged,” Kwankwaso said. Jingir, however, has remained defiant, telling BBC Hausa that he has “no regrets” over his position, insisting that his advocacy is based on Islamic teachings rather than political interests. “I am not promoting Tinubu; I am promoting Islam,” he declared.