Yarima, who recently declared his intention to run for the office of president in 2023, was the first governor to introduce Sharia in Zamfara state, Nigeria.
Since the announcement, some Nigerians have expressed concerns that he might introduce Sharia law in all parts of Nigeria.
In an interview with DailyTrust, the former Senator said he introduced Sharia Law in Zamfara after consulting the Christian community in the state.
“See, I did Sharia [in Zamfara] under the Nigerian constitution,” he began. “I prepared a bill, sent it to state assembly and the state assembly passed it into law because we have a homogeneous society and I did it with consultations with the Christians.
“I had a meeting with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Zamfara State chapter and we had an understanding and the law was mainly for Muslims.
“I am a Muslim, I want to live and die as a Muslim. And I want to practice my religion as provided for in the constitution. So, the issue of Sharia is being misunderstood and misinterpreted. There is no compulsion in religion.”
Yarima noted that without the backing of the National Assembly and subsequent passage of a bill seeking to make Nigeria a Sharia state, it would be impossible for him to do so independently.
“The constitution of Nigeria is what is being operated and that is what I will tell people. At least, I have been in the senate and I would have proposed a bill to introduce Sharia, but I know that is not possible. There is already Sharia in Nigerian constitution. What I did was to implement what is in the constitution at the state level. I don’t need to say I want to do the Sharia programme at the national level, it is not possible.
“At the national level, we have the House of Representatives and the Senate, if I can send my bill for Sharia and it is passed by the National Assembly, so be it,” he announced.
Yarima recently said that President Muhammadu Buhari‘s support for Bola Tinubu is not enough to secure the national leader of the All Progressives Congress the party’s presidential ticket in 2023.
