Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has dismissed the notion of a Muslim-Muslim ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting that Nigerians are more concerned about justice and competent leadership than religious identity.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Adebayo argued that the Tinubu-Shettima administration has failed to deliver the justice and good governance expected by Nigerians, describing the ticket as a “zero-zero ticket” rather than a Muslim-Muslim one.
According to him, leadership in Islam is founded on justice and competence, not religious affiliation.
“There is nothing like a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Even when the issue came up four years ago, I said that if anyone was expecting a Muslim-Muslim ticket in President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, they would be lucky to have even one Muslim out of the two,” he said.
Adebayo explained that, from the perspective of Islamic jurisprudence, leaders are judged by their commitment to justice and their fitness for office.
“In Islam, public office is not given based on religion but on competence, righteousness and justice. Muslims are expected to choose the most suitable and committed person for leadership,” he stated.
He further described the Muslim-Muslim ticket narrative as a political strategy designed to manipulate voters through religious sentiments.
“The whole concept from the beginning was just to defraud the populace by using religious sentiment. What Nigerians, including those in the North, are looking for is a righteous leader, regardless of the person’s religion,” he added.
Adebayo also pointed to the recent criticism of the current administration by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who was one of the strongest advocates of the Muslim-Muslim ticket during the 2023 elections.
He said it was ironic that El-Rufai, who championed the arrangement, is now demanding justice from the same government.
“So when there is no justice anywhere, even one of the strongest proponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, Nasir El-Rufai, and his family are now crying for justice. That is the biggest irony.
“I don’t think Nigerians are interested in a Muslim-Muslim ticket anymore. The APC is simply looking for a narrative because there is no real support for it anywhere,” Adebayo said.
Comments