Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a presidential candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the Nigerian Sharia Council to promptly devise a strategy for establishing political divisions that would promote Muslim involvement in politics.

The statement was made by Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, at the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) Annual National Conference and Pre-Ramadan meeting, which was held at the GMT hotel in Osogbo, Osun State. Tinubu confirmed that the establishment of the political directorate by the Islamic body would advance the status of Muslims in politics.

The political warlord, represented by Yorubaland’s Asiwaju Musulumi, Tunde Badmus, charged other religions to follow the faith mission in this direction by establishing their own directorates. It appears that he was referring to the recently established directorate of politics by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

“Other religious groups should commence political sensitisation by creating political departments or directorate among themselves to promote their own.”

“You ought to form a political wing within yourselves to help you focus your political involvement even further. It will be an excellent forum for you to back your brothers in their political aspirations.

“We must act toward our prayers, the emergence of a good leader, but we must engage in political activities,” he emphasized.

Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiytullah, the head of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, urged Muslims in the nation to utilize their numerical advantage in the next elections at all levels and in our communities during his speech at the program. I think everyone has heard about the recent haughty shouts and bellowing demands that the next President had to be a Christian.

“This is despite the fact that Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan became presidents because of the Muslim majority in the North (17½ states out of 19) and the Southwest (4 largest states).”

Therefore, if we really are in a democracy, we ought to put an end to this call for arrogance by ensuring that Muslims everywhere, particularly the youth, register before the end of the current Continuous Voter Registration period. But more importantly, we ought to deal with the problem of voter apathy—a slowly growing reluctance to cast a ballot during elections.

The explanation for this tendency, particularly in the North, is the high expectations set by the Federal and most State Governments, and their blatant inability to deliver on significant political promises that have an impact on the average person. To put it bluntly, the problem of voter apathy is somewhat understood.

“Prior to the 2015 elections, the President and other political figures pledged unequivocally to lower the petroleum pump price, repair current refineries and build new ones, provide gasoline subsidies, control the foreign exchange rate, end the insurgency by Boko Haram and other related security issues, etc.”

This is partially due to the fact that, as outsiders looking in, political candidates make claims and pledges. Justified or not, nevertheless, it is our duty as Ummah leaders to buck this unfavorable trend if we genuinely want to guarantee a fair and just democratic result in the upcoming and future elections,” he said.