Tinubu Cannot Abolish Sharia Law – Reuben Abati

A former presidential aide and news anchor, Reuben Abati, has stated that President Bola Tinubu cannot abolish the Sharia Law.

He stated this while reacting to recommendations made by the United States delegation that the Nigerian government do away with the Sharia law.

Speaking on Arise News’s The Morning Show, Abati argued that Sharia law is a constitutional matter.

He explained that the law applies only to those who submit themselves to it.

Abati said, “Now the Sharia is going to be a constitutional matter, the process of how it came about has been well articulated by Matthew Hassan Kukah, now a Bishop, in his book, ‘Religion, Politics and Power in Northern Nigeria’.

“Now, the decision when the 1979 constitution was being formulated was that it would be a personal orthodoxy. Sharia is supposed to apply to persons who submit themselves to it.

“The abuse is the problem. So nobody can say the President can unilaterally abolish Sharia. He cannot do that.

“If it is a constitutional matter, it will have to go through the Constitution.”

Speaking further, he said, “America is not dictating to Nigeria. That has not happened. We cannot say America is violating our sovereignty, that has not happened,” he said on The Morning Show

“What has happened is that on October 31, 2025, President Donald Trump directed Riley Moore and the committee on appropriation and foreign relations to go and investigate the alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.

“Now those congressional committees had their bipartisan trips. Trips were made to Nigeria. The Nigerian leaders met with the Americans, and all of that and Riley Moore have been mandated to submit a report to President Trump.

“What they have now done is that Riley Moore, leading the investigation committee, has now, with the committee on appropriation and foreign affairs, submitted a report to President Trump in the White House.

“The United States has not adopted that report. The government of Donald Trump has not made any pronouncement on that report. The Nigerian government has also not responded to it.

“This is the opinion of the investigative team, and what happens hereafter is when we will be able to make definitive statements.”