Nigeria's Ambassador to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has slammed Islamic cleric Sheikh Jingir for making a highly provocative statement that Nigeria is a Muslim country.

Jingir made the statement at a public gathering, where he called for support for the All Progressives Congress' Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.

Reacting, Fani-Kayode stated that such a statement is a very slippery and dangerous slope to take and is best avoided.

He continued, "Nigeria is NOT a Muslim country, and neither is she a Christian country.

"She is a SECULAR and MULTI-RELIGIOUS state comprising BOTH Christians and Muslims in equal numbers, and that is our strength.

"We are supporting a Muslim/Muslim ticket for 2027, as we did in 2023, only because of the calibre, ability, sincerity of purpose, character, utility and electoral strength of our Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates and their ability to deliver and not because they are Muslims.

"One day we may have a Christian/Christian ticket too because with God all things are possible.

"Let us leave religion out of politics and consider issues, policies and personalities instead."

The ambassador noted that the Christian community has fared very well in Nigeria in the last three years under the government of President Bola Tinubu and far better than they did between 2015 and 2023, even though at that time we had a Muslim/Christian ticket.

"We must not allow this issue to divide our ranks. We are NIGERIANS before being Christian or Muslim, and we must not only stand as ONE but also go to the polls as ONE.

"We overcame religious intolerance in 2023 and won the presidential election and by God's grace we will do the same again in 2027," he said.

ASA