A Friday sermon in Taraba State turned tense this week after a worshipper openly challenged the cleric’s view of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo was delivering his sermon at Juma’at prayers when he said the Tinubu administration was not oppressive. A worshipper immediately countered, shouting, “That’s a lie!”

A video from inside the mosque showed some congregants walking out in protest as the disagreement played out. The incident drew attention on social media, with users reacting to both the cleric’s remark and the congregation’s response.

By Saturday morning, Jalo Jalingo was back online, this time with advice for the people of Taraba State: be patient and vote for the All Progressives Congress in the coming elections. In a Facebook post, he argued that the APC offered a path to “liberation from the oppression and injustice that our state has endured for over 20 years.”

He said voting for the PDP or APGA would only extend that injustice, and warned against the ADC and NDC, suggesting those choices would repeat the political decisions of the past two decades. “Indeed, the most appropriate decision in this year’s election is for all our people to exercise further patience and vote for the APC,” he wrote, while praying for Allah’s guidance and success for the state.

The post drew mixed reactions. One commenter, Rufai Abubakar Fta, questioned whose interests the cleric was serving: “This is your ambition and for your personal benefit, not for the people of Taraba State or Nigerians.” Malam Adamu Chilariye said political involvement had weakened trust in the cleric’s religious teaching, writing that people “no longer listen to what Allah and His Messenger said because of your involvement in politics and personal interests.” Another commenter, Gambo Basiru Jata, appeared to reference the mosque incident: “Ya Sheikh, this early morning, abi you dream about the challenges you faced yesterday?” Mubaraq Dan Funtua also asked why the cleric had posted again without addressing what happened at the mosque.

The exchange comes as debate over political choices heats up ahead of the 2027 general elections.