Northern Activist Rejects Sheikh Jingir’s Tinubu Endorsement, Cites Insecurity and Hunger

 MATTERS ARISING 6060

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ABUJA, Nigeria — A northern activist has publicly challenged a prominent Islamic cleric’s pledge of support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, arguing that widespread insecurity and poverty make such a unified vote impossible.

Alhaji Abubakar Adam Musa, who writes under the name “Young Prof,” issued a rejoinder on Tuesday to Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir’s recent statement that Muslims and Christians in Plateau State would “all vote for Tinubu” in the next election.

While expressing respect for Jingir as an Islamic scholar, Musa said the cleric “does not speak for the North” and listed six reasons why many northerners would reject the call.

1. Rising poverty and hunger

Musa cited World Bank projections that an additional 6 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty, with the impact concentrated in the North. He also pointed to a March 2026 Médecins Sans Frontières report showing a 70% year-on-year rise in admissions to nutrition centers in Zamfara and Katsina states.

“No Islamic scholar has the right to ask a hungry man to remain silent,” Musa wrote. “Silence is not survival. Silence is suicide.”

2. Insecurity and banditry

He referenced data from the Nextier Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database showing 2,724 deaths from banditry in 2025, mostly in the North-West and North-Central. Musa noted that Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III met with an EU delegation in March 2026 because, he said, the federal government had “abandoned its role in conflict resolution.”

3. Marginalization of the Vice President  

Musa argued that Vice President Kashim Shettima, the North’s highest-ranking official, has been sidelined. He cited a June 2025 Pulse Nigeria analysis and the resignation of Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who said Tinubu had “turned his back against Shettima and the North.”

“You cannot humiliate our Vice President and then ask for our votes,” he wrote.

4. Muslim-Muslim ticket concerns

He quoted Professor Mansur Ibrahim Sokoto, who said in a March 2026 Eid sermon in Kaduna that the Muslim-Muslim ticket was “merely a political strategy” and that the president “is not after Muslims or Islam.”

5. Dissent among northern governors 

Musa pointed to a January 2026 Bloomberg report that northern governors across party lines were discussing realignment ahead of 2027. He singled out Borno Governor Babagana Zulum and Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal as examples of leaders speaking out.

6. Lack of engagement with traditional rulers 

He cited a March 1, 2026 Daily Trust report that the federal government had not held a town hall with North-West traditional rulers in 12 months. The Arewa Consultative Forum and Northern Elders Forum have also warned that leaders are ignoring “realities on the ground,” he said.

“With respect, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir is entitled to his vote. But he is not entitled to claim ‘we and our Christian brothers; all of us,’” Musa wrote. “The North is not silent. The North will not be silent.”

Jingir’s original comments were made during a meeting between Plateau State leaders and President Tinubu in Abuja, as reported by Premium Times Hausa. The meeting focused on security and development challenges in the country. 

Alhaji Abubakar Adam Musa is a public affairs commentator based in Abuja.