ANIMASAHUN SALMAN examines the rising debate over claims that the Sokoto State Government plans to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto,
It was the Muslim Rights Concern – an Islamic group established to cater to the interests of Muslims in Nigeria and abroad who first broke the shocking news to Nigerians on Sunday.
For those who are familiar with the antics of Prof. Ishaq Lakin Akintola, the founder and promoter of the group, shocking as the news sounded to Nigerians, MURIC, through its National President, Professor Akintola, in a statement widely circulated in the media berated and warned the Sokoto State Government not to do anything to tamper with and affect the stool of Sultan of Sokoto.
The group threatened that if the Sultan was removed for the second time in history, the body would not wait for the third time before it would begin to nominate or pick an Islamic scholar as the leader of the nation’s Muslim community.
Recall that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Nasir Binji, early this month while briefing newsmen shortly after one of the State Executive Council meetings, said the council had approved an amendment to the (law) Emirate Council Amendment Bill… which aims at changing the process of appointment of district and village heads.
He said the law before now gives the Sultanate, the powers to nominate and approve village and district heads without recourse to the state government. Binji said, “The bill if it is passed into law by the Assembly, will now give the powers to nominate to the Sultanate council while the powers to approve will now be vested with the state government.
“We are only streamlining the law in conformity with the current situation and not in any way to remove Sultan,” Binji clarified.
Continuing, the state Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General stressed, “It only has to do with the appointment of district heads, the appointment of village heads as well as the appointment of members of the Sultanate council in the state.”
Meanwhile, MURIC, in its statement, said, “Nigerian Muslims North and South of the country may be constrained to pick Islamic scholars only as President General of the NSCIA and overall leader of Nigerian Muslims. It will be a farewell to the leadership of traditional rulers over the NSCIA and an irreversible departure from Sokoto’s privileged leadership position. But history will not be kind to Colonel Yakubu Muazu and Ahmed Aliyu for ruining the chances of Sokoto.
“That will make it impossible for any governor to harass or intimidate the leader of Nigerian Muslims. The power and influence of governors over traditional rulers have become absolute and totalitarian in recent times. Nigerian Muslims must be given the space to breathe some air of freedom like all other associations.
“Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, and the third time is enemy action. If the deposition of a Sultan and NSCIA leader happens a second time, Nigerian Muslims will not allow the embarrassment to happen a third time.
“MURIC reiterates its call on the Sokoto State House of Assembly to either repeal or review the state’s chieftaincy laws by adding the phrase ‘except the Sultan of Sokoto’ to Section 6, Cap 26 of the Laws of northern Nigeria which empowers the state governor to depose the emirs, including the Sultan.
“We urge the northern elite and Islamic scholars based in the North to intervene before it is too late. This is the time to lobby the Sokoto State House of Assembly and the governor himself. If the chieftaincy laws of Kano State can be repealed within 24 hours, nothing stops that of Sokoto State from being reviewed in favour of immunity for the office of the Sultan in a single day to save Nigerian Muslims from humongous embarrassment.
“It is arbitrary, irrational, and condescending for a state governor to possess the power to dethrone the leader of all Muslims in Nigeria when even an ordinary chairman of a local government cannot sack the president of a campus students union. It is unacceptable. Enough is enough.
“In the same manner, it is tactless, reckless, myopic, and senselessly audacious for any governor of Sokoto State who has the power to remove the Sultan of Sokoto and head of all Nigerian Muslims to actually use that power. Well, once bitten, twice shy. Nigerian Muslims travelled this road once, under military rule. We will not ply the same road again,” MURIC insisted.
As if that was not enough, it was reported that the Vice President of the country, Kashim Shettima, while speaking in his remarks during the North-West Governors’ Forum on security, called on the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Idris Gobir, who represented Governor Ahmed Aliyu at the meeting to ensure that Sultan Saad Abubakar’s position is protected judiciously.
According to the Vice President, “Our father who is a permanent picture in all developmental issues in this country, His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto. I want to use him as my point of reference to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here.
“And to the Deputy Governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you. Yes, the Sultan is the Sultan of Sokoto, but he is much more than that; he represents an idea. He is an institution that all of us in this country need to jealously guard, protect, promote, preserve, and project for the good of our nation.”
Shettima spoke after the Executive Director of Muslim Rights Concern, Prof. Akintola, raised the alarm that the Sokoto government was allegedly plotting the removal of the Sultan.
Also reacting to the fears surrounding the Sultanate, the Peoples Democratic Party in Sokoto State warned the state government not to make any attempt to sack the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar from office.
The party said it was analysing the situation, adding that the party would resist any attempt to remove the Sultan. The spokesman for the party in the state, Hassan Sanyinnawal, said, “I want to urge the state government not to make any attempts to sack the Sultan from office. We know it was part of their slogan during the campaign that it is a new governor, a new Sultan, but they should drop the idea.
