The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory, Joseph Hayab, has called for moderation and greater respect in public discussions involving religion and politics.
Hayab made the call during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, while reacting to comments attributed to Islamic cleric Sheikh Yahya Jingir in a video circulating on social media.
Jingir was quoted as saying that Nigerians who do not want to accept a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket should leave the country, adding that Nigeria belongs to Muslims.
Hayab said religious and political leaders should be more careful about the language they use in public, arguing that statements made during political debates can deepen tensions when they move from campaigning into personal or religious insults.
He said previous controversial statements had been tolerated, but argued that the use of the word “infidel” in the latest remarks made the situation more offensive and changed the nature of the debate.
“We have always been tolerant of this, and I want to take us back. We have had the worst of these statements. But we have to be moderate. We have to be careful when we come to public space,” Hayab said.
He added that Jingir could have expressed support for Muslim political candidates without using language that could be viewed as derogatory toward people of other faiths.
“Honestly speaking, if Jingir had said, ‘look, let’s vote for our Muslim brothers to show we are strong’, it wouldn’t have been offensive than adding the term ‘infidel’,” he said.
Hayab said the Christian community had experienced similar remarks over the years but stressed the importance of responding through dialogue. He called for discussions involving open-minded religious leaders and other stakeholders to prevent political and religious disagreements from escalating.
The comments come as debate over religious identity, political representation and possible Muslim-Muslim presidential tickets continues to attract strong reactions in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
