A member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Shittu Ibraheem Aremu, has urged Muslims in the state to support Muslim candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and reject political parties that field Christian candidates for governor in the 2027 election.
Shittu, who represents Saki West State Constituency on the APC platform, made the remarks in a video circulating online on Monday, September 21, 2026. His membership of the Assembly and representation of Saki West are listed by the Oyo State Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Support all our Muslim candidates in APC. Any political party with a Christian guber candidate must not be voted for. If such a person is voted in, Islam would suffer,” Shittu said.
In another part of the video, the lawmaker urged Muslims not to vote for parties that nominate Christian governorship candidates, while alleging that Muslims had been disadvantaged under Christian political leaders.
The comments come as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State, where religion has featured periodically in discussions over Governor Seyi Makinde’s successor.
Shittu’s remarks have drawn criticism in online discussions, particularly because he represents a state constituency with voters of different religious backgrounds.
The APC has already selected Senator Sharafadeen Alli, a Muslim representing Oyo South in the Senate, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The lawmaker’s comments also come against the backdrop of calls by some Muslim groups for a Muslim successor to Makinde, who is a Christian and is serving his second and final term as governor.
The issue of religious representation has featured in Oyo politics in recent months, with proponents of a Muslim successor arguing that religious balance should be considered in choosing the next governor.
Shittu’s intervention, however, explicitly linked voting for a Christian governorship candidate to the interests of Muslims, making religion a central consideration in his appeal to voters.
As of Monday, no public response from Shittu or the Oyo State APC leadership had been reported concerning the remarks.
