Makinde warns against religious division

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Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has urged Nigerians not to allow religious differences to divide them, stressing the need for unity and peaceful coexiste Read More:…

Oyo State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has urged Nigerians not to allow religious differences to divide them, stressing the need for unity and peaceful coexistence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Makinde spoke on Saturday while declaring open a three-day conference organised by the League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, at Jogor Centre, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, the state capital.

The governor urged people of different faiths to promote mutual understanding and resist attempts to exploit religion for division.

Disclosing his family’s religious background, Makinde noted that his grandfather was a Muslim and that about 65 per cent of his extended family members also practised Islam.

He said, “Makinde is the name of the father that gave birth to my father, who is my grandfather. He lived and died as a Muslim. If I call our family meeting today—I mean the extended family meeting—as we speak, 65 per cent will be Muslims. So, religion cannot divide us in Oyo.”

He appealed to Islamic scholars and other participants to use the conference to promote religious harmony.

“I want to plead with you that we cannot be divided by religion. We are created by the same God. So, as this conference starts, let’s preach unity among us and don’t let us be divided by religion,” he said.

Meanwhile, leaders of the league declared that the organisation would not endorse any political party or candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that its responsibility was to pray for credible leadership.

The Chairman of the league’s Board of Trustees, Muhammad Abdullahi El-Ilory, said the clerics would remain non-partisan despite their influence on political leaders.

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