A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, has called on the federal and sub-national governments to take strict legal action against individuals whose public utterances threaten national security and peaceful coexistence.
This call came on the heels of the recent incendiary comments attributed to a Plateau-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir.
Nwosu, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, condemned the cleric for reportedly referring to Christians as ‘infidels.’
The Imo State-born politician warned that allowing unchecked hate speech by influential figures poses a direct threat to public order and national stability.
He urged authorities at all levels to intervene decisively and enforce existing laws against individuals using public platforms to stoke religious division.
‘Freedom of religion and expression should not be used to promote hatred or undermine the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians,’ Nwosu stated.
He then called on the government to take appropriate action against anyone whose remarks threaten the nation’s harmony, in accordance with the law.
Expressing deep concern over the timing of the remarks, the former gubernatorial candidate noted that such rhetoric deepens religious mistrust at a critical moment when the nation requires stability and cohesion. He stressed that religious authority must not serve as a shield for denigrating whole faith communities.
‘At a time when Nigerians are looking forward to greater unity and peaceful coexistence, it is unfortunate for anyone, particularly a religious leader, to make statements capable of setting one group against another,’ he said. ‘No individual should use religion as a platform to denigrate or label an entire faith community.’
Nwosu urged religious leaders across all denominations to recognise the weight of their influence and deploy their platforms to foster mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding rather than friction.
Reiterating the need for collective restraint, he appealed to both Christians and Muslims not to let provocative comments destroy long-standing interfaith relationships, emphasising that Nigeria urgently needs ‘responsible voices that will unite the country rather than deepen existing divisions.’