2027: Amid Insecurity, Hardship, Public Anger, Izala, Qadiriyya Rally Behind Tinubu

*Religious Leaders Endorse Second Term As Nigerians Battle Rising Cost Of Living, Kidnapping And Economic Pressure By Muhammad A. Abubakar...

*Religious Leaders Endorse Second Term As Nigerians Battle Rising Cost Of Living, Kidnapping And Economic Pressure

By Muhammad A. Abubakar 

As Nigerians continue to grapple with insecurity, rising living costs, unemployment and growing concerns over the direction of the country, influential Islamic movements have begun throwing their weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.

The latest political development has placed Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) and the Qadiriyya movement at the centre of an increasingly controversial debate: should religious influence be used to endorse continuity in government when millions of Nigerians are still demanding tangible answers to their economic and security challenges?

The declarations came as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, led by its Director-General, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, embarked on consultations with prominent Muslim clerics and movements across the North.

The consultations covered Plateau, Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano, with the APC delegation meeting leaders associated with JIBWIS, Tijjaniyya and Qadiriyya and seeking support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.

But the political endorsements have emerged against a backdrop that makes them particularly striking.

Nigeria is still dealing with serious security challenges, while renewed fuel-price increases have added pressure to household finances. Reuters reported this week that petrol prices had climbed to around ₦1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja and as high as ₦1,500 in parts of northern Nigeria, with diesel exceeding ₦2,000 per litre. Although official inflation had eased to 15.39 per cent in August, the renewed rise in fuel prices was reported as intensifying cost-of-living pressure.

At the same time, insecurity remains a major public concern.

In Niger State, hundreds of residents recently protested over the continued captivity of people abducted during a mass kidnapping in August. Reuters reported that nearly 700 people were believed by locals to remain in captivity more than a month after the attacks, with residents demanding stronger government action.

Against this background, the question surrounding the latest endorsements is difficult to ignore:

What exactly are Nigerians being asked to endorse in 2027 — the President’s record, his promises for a second term, or simply the continuation of political power?

IZALA SUPPORTS TINUBU — BUT SECURITY AND HARDSHIP REMAIN

In Kaduna, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, associated with a JIBWIS faction, received Senator Yari and the APC delegation.

The engagement was not simply about politics.

Security, economic hardship and the need to rebuild trust among Nigeria’s diverse communities were among the issues discussed. Sheikh Bala Lau also urged political leaders to listen more closely to citizens and speak to them with sincerity.

That creates an uncomfortable juxtaposition.

On one hand, the clerics are acknowledging the hardship and insecurity confronting ordinary Nigerians.

On the other hand, the same political engagement is being used to mobilise support for the administration seeking another four years.

For critics of the endorsement, this raises a fundamental question: if insecurity and economic hardship are serious enough to demand urgent government attention, why should the same administration automatically receive religious backing for another term before Nigerians have seen satisfactory solutions to those problems?

That question is likely to become even more prominent as the 2027 campaign intensifies.

QADIRIYYA ALSO BACKS SECOND TERM

The Qadiriyya movement has equally declared support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Sheikh Qaribullah Nasiru Kabara, leader of the Qadiriyya movement in Africa, announced the group’s support after receiving the APC campaign delegation led by Senator Yari.

According to reports, Sheikh Qaribullah said the movement believed Tinubu had a “good mission” for Nigeria and pledged prayers focusing on peace, economic recovery, employment and an end to insecurity.

Yet again, the contrast is striking.

The movement is calling for prayers for the very problems that remain among the biggest challenges confronting Nigerians, while simultaneously supporting the political administration seeking another term.

Peace. Jobs. Economic recovery. An end to insecurity.

These are not abstract campaign slogans for Nigerians living with kidnapping, unemployment and soaring household expenses. They are immediate questions of survival.

And that is precisely why the religious endorsements are likely to attract scrutiny.

WHEN POLITICAL SUPPORT MEETS RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE

The involvement of major religious movements in electoral politics is not new in Nigeria.

Religious leaders command significant influence, particularly in northern communities, making their support politically valuable to parties and candidates.

The APC appears fully aware of this influence.

Rather than beginning its mobilisation solely with massive rallies, the Presidential Campaign Council has prioritised consultations with religious leaders and town-hall engagements, saying the approach is intended to hear directly from Nigerians about their concerns and expectations.

But there is another side to that strategy.

When influential religious leaders endorse a sitting government, their followers may interpret the endorsement as more than a political opinion. It can become a powerful mobilisation tool.

That makes the responsibility of religious leadership particularly sensitive.

Should religious authority be used primarily to mobilise electoral support — or should it be used to demand measurable accountability from those seeking another mandate?

That debate is now likely to follow the 2027 campaign.

JINGIR AND THE MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET

The political debate has also been intensified by Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, a prominent JIBWIS cleric, who has openly supported retaining the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027.

Jingir's position has generated public controversy, particularly because it frames the coming election partly through religious identity rather than solely through governance, economic performance and security.

His advocacy has added another dimension to the Tinubu 2027 campaign: whether voters should assess the administration primarily through its record in office or through the religious composition of the presidential ticket.

That question is particularly important in a country as religiously and ethnically diverse as Nigeria.

THE ₦600 MILLION QUESTION

The controversy surrounding religious support for Tinubu was further fuelled by reports of a ₦600 million donation to a university project associated with Sheikh Jingir.

In a video that circulated online, Ibrahim Masari, an adviser to President Tinubu, announced a ₦300 million contribution, while Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni was reported to have pledged another ₦300 million, bringing the announced contribution to ₦600 million.

The money was presented as support for the university project rather than a personal payment to the cleric.

Nevertheless, the timing and political environment generated significant public discussion, particularly because Jingir has been vocal in his advocacy for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

The available reports establish the announced donation and Jingir's political position, but they do not establish that the donation was made in exchange for political support.

That distinction matters.

However, it does not eliminate the wider question surrounding the relationship between political power, religious influence and financial patronage.

WHAT ABOUT THE ORDINARY NIGERIAN?

For the trader struggling with transport costs, the farmer worried about insecurity, the graduate searching for employment, the family battling food prices and the community living under the shadow of kidnapping, the 2027 election will ultimately be about more than religious endorsements.

It will be about results.

It will be about whether people feel safer.

It will be about whether their incomes can sustain their families.

It will be about whether young Nigerians can find meaningful employment.

It will be about whether government policies translate into improvements in everyday life.

And it will be about whether political leaders can convincingly explain why they deserve another mandate.

The irony of the current political moment is therefore difficult to miss.

Religious leaders are calling for peace while insecurity remains a national concern.

They are calling for economic recovery while households continue to feel the pressure of rising costs.

They are calling for jobs while unemployment remains a central concern for young Nigerians.

And, at the same time, some of those same voices are endorsing the President seeking another four years.

2027: ENDORSEMENT OR ACCOUNTABILITY?

The emerging alliance between the APC campaign and influential Muslim movements may become an important feature of the 2027 political landscape.

But religious endorsement cannot, by itself, settle the questions confronting voters.

The real debate is whether the government has addressed the concerns of Nigerians sufficiently to justify another mandate — a question ultimately to be answered by voters through the electoral process.

For now, the political message from the religious movements is becoming increasingly clear:

Tinubu should continue.

But the message coming from many Nigerians is equally difficult to ignore:

Show us the results.

And as 2027 approaches, that tension between religious endorsement and public accountability could become one of the defining battles of the election.