2027: Makinde urges Nigerians to shun religious division

Detailed summary

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has urged Nigerians to shun religious division ahead of the 2027 elections, citing his own mixed-faith family background. Read More:…

Oyo State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, on Saturday urged Nigerians not to allow religious differences to divide them, declaring that religion could not divide the state.

He made the appeal while declaring open a three-day conference organised by the League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, known as Rabitatul-Aimmat Wal Ulamai Fi Bilaadi Yoruba, at Jogor Centre, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, the state capital.

Makinde urged people of different faiths to promote unity and peaceful coexistence as the 2027 general election approaches.

Speaking about his family’s religious background, the governor disclosed that his grandfather was a Muslim, adding that about 65 per cent of his extended family members also practised Islam.

He said, “Makinde is the name of the father that gave birth to my father, who is my grandfather. He lived and died as a Muslim. If I call our family meeting today, I mean the extended family meeting, as we speak, 65 per cent will be Muslims. So, religion cannot divide us in Oyo.”

He urged Islamic scholars and other participants to use the conference to promote religious harmony and discourage divisions among Nigerians.

“I want to plead with you that we cannot be divided by religion. We are created by the same God. So, as this conference starts, let’s preach unity among us and don’t let us be divided by religion,” he said.

In their separate remarks, leaders of the league said the organisation was not a political platform and would not endorse any political party or candidate ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Chairman of the league’s Board of Trustees, Muhammad Abdullahi El-Ilory, said the clerics would not declare support for any politician or political party, adding that their responsibility was to pray for the emergence of credible leaders.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Punch. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.