Barely a week after a Muslim group, the Muslim Advocacy Group, called for a Muslim governor to address what it described as religious imbalance in Ogun State politics, the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN) has renewed similar demands, insisting that the 2027 governorship election must reflect equity and fair representation across religious lines.
The Council, at a press conference held in Ijebu-Ode on Friday, urged what it termed a political reset in Ogun State, warning that continued perceived exclusion in the sharing of political power could deepen mistrust and undermine social cohesion.
Addressing journalists, the Ogun State Chairman of the Council, Sheikh Abdur Rasheed Folajuwon Mayaleeke, who led a delegation of Islamic scholars, said the 2027 governorship poll represents a critical opportunity to correct what they described as a long-standing imbalance in the state’s leadership structure.
According to the Council, available political history indicates that by 2027, Christian politicians would have occupied the governorship seat for about 26 years since the creation of the state, while Muslim leaders would have held the position for about eight years—a disparity it described as “deeply troubling.”
“This is not a minor discrepancy but a prolonged imbalance that must be urgently addressed,” the Council said, warning that such a pattern, if left unchecked, could weaken trust in governance and threaten peaceful coexistence.
In a position statement read by Ameer Shereef Afolalola Mayaleeke, the Council stressed that its intervention was not politically motivated and not targeted at any individual or political party, but anchored on what it described as verifiable facts and the need for justice.
“We are not projecting any candidate. Our concern is to ensure a political system that promotes justice, equity, and inclusiveness for all ethnic and religious groups in Ogun State,” the statement added.
The clerics maintained that persistent imbalance in political representation could fuel perceptions of systemic exclusion and erode public confidence in governance if not deliberately corrected ahead of the next election cycle.
In a joint statement signed by Sheikh Mayaleeke and the Council Secretary, Alhaji Afolabi Zubair, political parties were urged to demonstrate sincerity in their nomination processes by ensuring what they called fair representation across religious divides.
They warned that failure to address the issue could be interpreted as a continuation of exclusionary politics in the state.
While reaffirming their commitment to peaceful engagement, dialogue, and stability, the Council stressed that the time for what it called corrective action was now, warning that delayed attention to the matter could have far-reaching consequences for unity and political stability in Ogun State.
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