OWERRI, IMO STATE — The apex sociocultural youth organization of the Igbo race worldwide, the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), led by Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, has commended Islamic cleric Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir for his recent public justification and endorsement of the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Speaking during a press conference in Owerri on Wednesday, Comrade Igboayaka stated that Sheikh Jingir’s remarks—which sparked national outrage after declaring that those opposed to a same-faith ticket should leave the country—are not mere rhetoric. Instead, the OYC leader characterized the cleric’s stance as an open admission of an ideological agenda aimed at establishing political dominance across the federation.
Comrade Igboayaka noted that Ndigbo appreciated the clarity provided by Sheikh Jingir’s statement. He asserted that while Northern and Southwest Muslims are entitled to pursue their political aspirations, framing Nigeria—a constitutional multi-religious state—as an exclusively Muslim country violates fundamental rights to freedom of worship and equal citizenship.
According to the OYC National President, Sheikh Jingir’s inflammatory comments have validated the long-standing arguments of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and reinforced the rationale behind calls for a democratic referendum to restore the Republic of Biafra.
He urged various pro-Biafran bodies—including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Eastern Peoples Congress (EPC), the Movement of Biafra in Nigeria (MOBIN), the Revolutionary Council of Biafra (RCB), the Biafra National League, and the Biafra Independence Movement—to intensify coordinated peaceful advocacy for a United Nations-supervised plebiscite. This, he argued, would allow self-determination for regions seeking exit while enabling proponents of a same-faith political structure to run their preferred nation.
Referring to Sheikh Jingir’s viral address where the cleric urged followers to sustain the Muslim-Muslim ticket to maintain dominance and told critics to leave Nigeria, Comrade Igboayaka agreed that forced national unity is unsustainable under conditions of religious polarization.
He recalled his January 2026 New Year message advising the Igbo people to prepare for a peaceful exit, stating that recent developments have confirmed his warning that Nigeria’s structural and religious contradictions are increasingly irreconcilable without a referendum.
The OYC president also expressed concern over the silence of the Federal Government and presidential media handlers regarding the cleric’s remarks, arguing that failure to issue a prompt official rebuttal signals tacit approval. He concluded by urging all ethnic nationalities and groups unsettled by the rhetoric of religious dominance to formally demand a constitutional referendum to prevent further sectarian tension and ensure lasting peace across the region.
