Following the demand of the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Osun State chapter, for a Christian governor in 2026, an Islamic group has described the demand as dead on arrival, saying the demand is illegitimate.

The group, Concerned Muslim Stakeholders and Leagues of Alfas, also queried Governor Ademola Adeleke’s loyalty to Islam, having allegedly dropped his Muslim name.

Addressing newsmen in Osogbo on Wednesday on behalf of the group, the President, Sheikh Qozeem Abdulrahman described call by CAN youth wing and PFN as divisive which must be discarded by the people of the State.

While describing the call as greedy and a religious bias, he said Muslims in the state have in the recent times show maturity and understanding when circumstances threw up christian-christian tickets in the state.

“For record purposes, let it be known that Osun has had a Christian-Christian ticket before. The Governor, the Deputy Governor, the Chief of Staff, and the Head of Service were all Christians this is not too far just 2003 to 2010. Yet, the Muslim community did not raise an alarm. Osun Muslims have been the most tolerant religious community in Nigeria, and nobody should take that for weakness.

“Even the current administration in Osun is more or less a Christian-Christian arrangement. The Governor himself who once bore a Muslim name no longer identifies with that name in his recent party certificate. The Deputy Governor is a known Christian, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly is a Christian, and the Head of Service is a Christian. Yet, our Muslims have kept quiet in the spirit of peace and fairness”, he said.

Also speaking, Mallam Abdulganiy Sahid disclosed that the Christian groups displayed hypocrisy by claiming that Christians were marginalised in a state which has never produced a Muslim Head of service or Chief Judge since its 35 years of existence despite its majority Muslim population.

Fielding questions from journalists, Imam Asimiyu Tijani queried the sincerity of Governor Ademola Adeleke to being a Muslim, having dropped his the name that linked him to Islam as witnessed in the certificate offered him by the PDP after his screening recently.

“The closest thing that linked the governor to Islam is his name “Nurudeen”, which was conspicuously not written in the certificate presented to him after his screening by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, how do you now call him a Muslim despite his body language?

It would be recalled that the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, led by Mr Ayodele Owoofe and PFN group led by Bishop Seun Adeoye had recently agitated that the next governor of the state must be a Muslim citing marginalization of Christians in the state. (Vanguard)