The Presidency has declined to comment on the visit by former Zamfara State Governor and Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, to prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Sani Yahaya Jingir, in Jos, Plateau State.
Yari was in Jos as part of a wider engagement with influential religious and community figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The visit has attracted attention because of Sheikh Jingir’s prominent position within the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) and the growing political consultations ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to reports, the campaign council delegation visited Jos and paid a condolence visit to Sheikh Jingir following the death of the JIBWIS National Treasurer. The delegation subsequently continued its engagements with other key stakeholders in the state.
The development comes against the backdrop of increasing political activities in northern Nigeria as parties and political actors begin mobilising support ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
Yari, who served as governor of Zamfara State, has recently emerged as a central figure in the APC’s efforts to build support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid.
His consultations have included meetings with prominent Islamic scholars and other influential stakeholders in northern Nigeria.
The significance of the Jos meeting was further heightened by Sheikh Jingir’s political and religious influence. In August, JIBWIS publicly stated that its members had the right and responsibility to participate in politics while urging political engagement based on fairness, competence, justice and national interest.
Presidency keeps mum
Despite the political significance being attached to the visit, the Presidency has declined to comment on the meeting or disclose what may have transpired between Yari and the Islamic scholar.
When contacted for reaction on the visit and its purpose, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, said the Presidency would not be commenting.
“The Presidency cannot respond to such,” Ajayi said.
No official statement was issued by the Presidency regarding the meeting as of press time.
The visit also came shortly before Yari addressed a gathering of prominent Islamic scholars in Bauchi, where he cautioned northerners against demanding that the presidency must return to the North in 2027.
Yari argued that insisting that Nigeria’s presidency must remain in one region could undermine national unity. He advocated a leadership arrangement in which different regions have opportunities to produce the president.
The sequence of engagements has further placed Yari’s consultations with religious leaders in focus as the APC begins preparations for its 2027 campaign activities.
For now, however, neither Yari nor the Presidency has publicly disclosed the specific issues discussed during his private meeting with Sheikh Jingir in Jos.
