An All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Shittu, has urged voters to support only Muslim candidates in the 2027 elections, warning against voting for Christian politicians.
Shittu, who represents Saki West, made the remarks while addressing voters at a recent gathering in Oyo State, where he called on them to reject Christian candidates, particularly those seeking the governorship.
The lawmaker alleged that electing a Christian governor would expose Muslims to punishment, urging voters to support candidates based on their religious affiliation.
“We are appealing to you, our fathers, that you must stand with our candidates who are Muslims. Anyone who selects a Christian candidate for governor, let us reject them and not vote for them. If we vote for them, they will punish Muslims,” the All Progressives Congress lawmaker alleged.
His comments come as political parties and aspirants begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, with religion already featuring prominently in political discussions across the country.
The remarks have, however, drawn criticism from social media users, with several accusing the lawmaker of using religion to divide voters and gain political advantage.
“One of the dumbest politicians ever. When are we going to wake up from this nepotism? I couldn’t believe that religious affiliations will still becloud any sane person in this generation. Ibrahim Shittu and brain are miles apart,” X user @Timileyinm69969 said.
Another user, @valentinepaulal, condemned the statement, saying politicians should promote unity rather than deepen religious divisions.
“This is very wrong in a sane society. It breaks my heart to see politicians who are supposed to promote love and oneness between the members of the public are the ones causing hate among them. Shame on you, sir.”
Reacting to the development, @Paid_ warned that the use of religion in Nigerian politics could have serious consequences.
“Nigeria is already using religion to play politics… and it hasn’t even fully started yet. You saw the game your godfather played during the presidential election. That same playbook will hurt this country badly—and if we’re not careful, it could burn it to the ground,” @Paid_ stated.
Other critics went further, calling for legal action against the lawmaker over what they described as religious hate speech.
@ObisesanOlarin1 said, “This kind of people should not be representing at state level, let alone national level; preaching religious hate speech should be a punishable offence that needs to be addressed by the law.”
