‘There Is No Support For Muslim-Muslim Ticket Anywhere’ – Adebayo

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has said Nigerians are more interested in electing a competent and just leader than supporting a presidential ticket based on religious considerations.

Naija News reports that Adebayo argued that the debate over a Muslim-Muslim ticket ahead of the 2027 election was misplaced, insisting that leadership should be judged by competence, fairness and commitment to public service.

The SDP candidate stated this on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show.

He also described the administration of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as a “zero-zero ticket,” claiming it had failed to meet the standards of justice expected by Nigerians.

Adebayo said he had rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket argument when it was first raised ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

He said, “There is nothing like the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Even when the contraption was brought up four years ago, and I was in Kano, I was asked the same question while meeting with the Ulamas.

“I let them know that if you are hoping for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, you will be lucky to even have a single Muslim out of the two.”

He maintained that a leader’s religious identity was less important than the person’s commitment to justice and responsible governance.

“And it turned out now that it’s not a Muslim-Muslim ticket. From the point of view of Muslims in Nigeria, it’s a zero-zero ticket because in Islam, what is expected of a leader in Islamic jurisprudence is not the religion of that leader but justice,” Adebayo added.

According to him, Muslims participate in politics primarily to promote a fair and orderly society, not merely to install people who share their faith.

‘Public Office Must Go To The Competent’

The SDP candidate said Islamic principles required positions of responsibility to be entrusted to qualified individuals.

Adebayo further stated, “The reason why Muslims get involved in politics is to have a just society, and there are guidelines in Islamic jurisprudence regarding politics.

“In Islam, it’s expected that if you are a good Muslim, you do not give public office or responsibility to anyone who is not fit for that. So, you look among yourselves for the most suitable and committed person.”

Adebayo argued that political power should not be allocated on the basis of favouritism, bias or anticipated personal benefit.

“Second, you don’t give power based on favouritism or bias, and you don’t give power based on expectation of reward,” he said.

The presidential candidate accused proponents of the Muslim-Muslim ticket of using religion to manipulate voters.

He said, “So the whole concept from the beginning was just to defraud the populace by using religious sentiment.

“What the North and all Nigerians are looking for is a righteous leader, no matter the person.”

He said Nigerians were now more concerned about insecurity, economic hardship and access to justice than the religious composition of a presidential ticket.

Adebayo also referred to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who was a strong supporter of the same-faith presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 election.

He argued that El-Rufai’s subsequent political grievances showed that religious alignment did not guarantee justice or favourable treatment.

Adebayo said, “So when you say you are looking for a Muslim-Muslim ticket and there is no justice anywhere, even one of the proponents, El-Rufai, who was celebrating it, he and his family are now crying for justice, and that is the biggest irony you can have.

“Nobody was more for a Muslim-Muslim ticket than El-Rufai, who can’t get justice.”

Adebayo concluded that Nigerians were unlikely to support another presidential ticket built primarily around religious sentiment in 2027.

“I don’t think that Nigerians are interested in that at all, and the government and APC are just looking for what to say. There is no support for a Muslim-Muslim ticket anywhere,” he added.