Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Islam is suffering reputational damage under the Tinubu Shettima presidency, the world has never seen the faith as negatively portrayed as it is today under this administration, Labour Party Vice Presidential Candidate Dr Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed declared at a political gathering in Abuja on Monday. The former presidential running mate made the explosive claim during an event hosted by the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), drawing sharp contrasts between the current Nigerian leadership and notorious dictators from the Middle East.
Addressing a gathering of party faithful and political stakeholders in the nation's capital, Baba Ahmed did not hold back in his critique of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. “The world of Islam has never suffered reputational damage as under the Tinubu Shettima presidency,” he stated emphatically, according to multiple news reports from the event. He emphasized that his remarks were not easy to voice, saying, “Listen carefully. It’s not easy for me to say this. And I hope one day I will not regret it, for saying this, but it’s not easy, but it must be said”. He argued that across the globe, in nations ruled by Muslims, there is typically “peace and tranquillity, and there is justice,” a state he implied was now absent under the current administration.
In a startling line of reasoning meant to bolster his position, the Labour Party chieftain invoked the legacy of two of the 20th century’s most brutal dictators. “Go to the countries where you’ve had maximum Muslim dictators,” Baba Ahmed declared, pointing to the examples of Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and Saddam Hussein of Iraq. He argued that despite their well-documented human rights atrocities, including mass executions and the use of chemical weapons, these leaders left behind records of human development that remain “yet unsurpassed”. He specifically praised Libya’s progress under Gaddafi, stating, “Human development index of Gaddafi, no one can meet it in the world, up till today. Only when you cross their path then they will kill or destroy you”.
The political figure, who has declared his intention to run for president in 2027, took pains to clarify that his criticism was not about the Islamic faith itself but about the character of its leadership. “This is not about religion, and if you are presenting religion, then present the genuine candidates, the real ones, who will govern by the dictates of their religion,” he explained. He called for authentic representation regardless of faith, saying, “If you are bringing a Christian, we want a genuine Christian. If you are bringing a Muslim, we want a genuine Muslim”. This plea, however, was muddied by his preceding implication that the current administration’s failures are so grave they have damaged the global perception of Islam itself.
Baba Ahmed’s provocative remarks are the latest ammunition in a long-running political battle over the APC’s controversial Muslim Muslim presidential ticket. The 2023 election of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima marked a significant political realignment, but it has remained a source of heated debate and lingering resentment. Critics have consistently argued that the all-Muslim ticket was an act of political insensitivity that exacerbated religious tensions in a nation already grappling with sectarian violence. The fallout, as articulated by figures like former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, has been tangible. Lawal has argued that the ticket deepened perceptions of religious exclusion and has been linked by many to a worsening insecurity crisis that disproportionately affects Christian communities in the North.
Though the Presidency has previously declared that the “Muslim-Muslim ticket” is no longer an issue, statements such as those made by Baba Ahmed prove it remains a potent and divisive political tool. The controversy has forced other northern leaders to react. In a seeming response to the negative associations his government is grappling with, Vice President Shettima recently made a trip to Kwara State to condemn a brutal terrorist attack. He was careful to emphasize that the massacre of villagers was a violation of the rights of people to practice their religion, noting that the victims were practicing “the most tolerant form of Islam” according to the teachings“ that injunctions of Islam have instructed”. Shettima’s message was meant to defend Islam’s image, yet it appears to have fallen on deaf ears as its own political leaders continue to make contradictory grandstanding.
Datti Baba Ahmed, who has had a strained and increasingly public falling out with his former principal Peter Obi, also used the platform to take a swipe at his ex-boss. He questioned Obi’s penchant for abandoning political parties and structures when they face internal conflict. “Someone who got the Labour Party ticket so easily should have stayed back to fix the problem of the party, however difficult it was,” Baba Ahmed said. He criticized the approach, stating, “I read and watched in the news; here’s my former leader and my boss whom I believed in so much saying that wherever there’s a quarrel, he’ll walk away. So, there’s a quarrel in Nigeria today, he will walk away? These are things that don’t add up”. This jab at Obi came only a day after he had told his former boss to “stay in your house if you can’t fight” over his own 2027 ambitions, signaling a complete breakdown in their political alliance.
Baba Ahmed’s speech is likely to be met with fierce condemnation. While supporters of the opposition might cheer his unvarnished attack on the ruling party, his equating of Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein with desirable models of Islamic governance is deeply problematic. It exposes a troubling nostalgia for authoritarian rule that could alienate the very democratic forces the opposition claims to represent. For the administration of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, the remarks serve as a stark reminder that while they may have won the election, they have yet to win the war of narrative. The charge of damaging the reputation of Islam is a potent one, and the government will now be forced to respond to a Labour Party candidate whose own logical consistency is being called into question.
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