Former presidential spokesperson and journalist Reuben Abati has clarified that President Bola Tinubu does not have the authority to simply cancel Sharia law in Nigeria.
His comments come after a U.S. delegation suggested the Nigerian government should move away from the legal system.
Abati explained that Sharia law is built into Nigeria's Constitution. Because of this, the President cannot change it on his own; it would require a long legal process to alter the Constitution itself.
He noted that Sharia is intended for people who choose to follow it personally. The real issue, he argued, isn't the law itself, but how it is sometimes misused.
Abati stressed that the United States is not "bossing Nigeria around." He explained that a U.S. team was sent by President Donald Trump to investigate reports of religious violence, and they simply submitted a report of their findings.
Currently, the report is just a set of recommendations. Neither the U.S. government nor the Nigerian government has made a final decision or official statement on the matter yet.
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