Four northern governors affiliated with the All Progressives Congress (APC) have faced criticism for their alleged response to comments made by Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir. The cleric referred to Christians as infidels and claimed that Nigeria belongs to Muslims.
The controversy arose from remarks made by the cleric on Saturday during a mass wedding ceremony organized by the Kano State Government, which sponsored the marriages of 1,500 couples.
While speaking at the event, Sheikh Jingir expressed no regrets about supporting the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. He argued that this decision represented the numerical strength of Muslims in the country.
He also implied that Muslims were gaining control in Nigeria.
A viral video on social media captured the cleric’s remarks made in the presence of Abba Yusuf, Umar Namadi, Dauda Lawal, and Dikko Umar Radda—the governors of Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, and Katsina States respectively.
As the cleric made his controversial remarks, some governors seemed to cheer and applaud, prompting criticism from several Nigerians.
In response to the development, Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation and Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa, voiced his disappointment regarding the actions of the Kano State Governor.
Fani-Kayode mentioned that he found the governor’s supposed response to the comments more troubling than what was said by the cleric.
The only thing more disheartening than what he said was seeing my friend and brother, the Governor of Kano state, applauding him and celebrating it; that saddened me even further.
He stated on Tuesday, “We refuse to remain silent and allow our faith to be trampled upon due to politics.”
In response, Prophet Isa El-Buba, a cleric from Plateau, criticized the governors’ supposed reaction to the comments.
In an online video, El-Buba challenged the actions of the governors and criticized Northern Nigeria’s security situation.
I observed the governors cheering for him. This reflects the extreme situation in Northern Nigeria. Aren’t you concerned about the banditry and other crimes occurring in that region?
“We have the largest number of people struggling with power issues and drug addiction in the North. Aren’t you ashamed of this?” he remarked.
In a similar vein, Dan Masani, the social media influencer, characterized the incident as tragic.
He posted on X: “I’m not focused on the Sheikh spreading hate; what’s truly concerning about this video is that three state APC governors—those of Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa—were all applauding and agreeing with him.”
He claimed that the insecurity in Nigeria, especially in the northern region, is supported by the state.
