ANIMASAHUN SALMAN examines the rising debate over claims that the Sokoto State Government plans to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar
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.
“The Sultan of Sokoto is not just a traditional ruler but also the leader of Muslim Umah in the country. Therefore, any attempt to remove him will be resisted by every Nigerian.
“Already, we are looking at the recent removal of some of the district heads, and our lawyer may still have to challenge that. We don’t want anything to disrupt our traditional institutions in the state.
“We heard that the Attorney General is submitting a bill to the state Assembly to transfer the powers to nominate a traditional ruler or district head from the Sultan to the governor, we would resist it by all legal means”
Speaking on the matter, a chieftain of the PDP in the state, Yusuf Dingyadi, urged the GovernorAliyu-led administration not to cause chaos in the state. Dingyadi, who is a special assistant to the national chairman of the PDP, said the current administration in the state should not embark on something that would affect the peace of Sokoto State.
He noted, “The Sultanate is an institution which reflects our dignity and religious identity for almost hundreds of years after the Jihad of Sheikh Danfodio. It is a truly respected custodian of heritage and Islamic affairs of Muslim Ummah in the country and beyond. Those who think they can wake up and remove the Sultan as it was done during the military era are myopic and intolerant and this will backfire.
“Sultan Abubakar is not just a traditional ruler but also a Muslim leader and national leader. So, anybody who thinks he wants to remove the Sultan because he hates the occupant of the seat should drop the idea because it will be resisted by all the Muslims across the country.
“Therefore, I appeal to the governor not to allow anyone to use him to cause problems. He and his commissioners should realise that they will one day leave power and the people will ask them for their stewardship.
Also speaking, a public analyst, Kabiru Isa, said the move would not give the current administration a good image within the country and in the international community. However, he urged the current administration not to speak of removing him (Sultan) from office.
Meanwhile, a political source in the state, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the current administration during the campaign leading to the 2023 general election had shown disdain to the Sultan of Sokoto.
He said most of their supporters during the campaign had as part of their campaign slogan said, “In Sokoto, we are voting for a new governor and new Sultan, (Sabon Governor, Sabo n Seriki). We are all witness to it here in Sokoto State. It will only take hypocrites to pretend not to know that it was part of their agenda.
“I am sure you remember that shortly after the resumption into office, during the 2023 Eid-el-Kabir, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima came to Sokoto on behalf of President (Bola) Tinubu on the same issue to talk to the governor on how to strengthen his relationship with same Sultan. Even though it was said the visit was a simple Sallah homage to some of us, we know there is more to it than that.
“During the visit, the Vice President explained that it was cheaper for the governor to maintain his relationship with his political leader, Senator Aliyu Wamakko. He repeated that it was cheaper for the governor who was just less than a month in office to maintain his relationship with the Sultan.
“He said the Sultan was an institution not just in the North of Nigeria but in Africa and should be treated with the utmost respect he deserved. Now, if you relate that with what he said on Monday and his body language, you will realise there is more to it.”
However, the source appealed to the state government to let the sleeping dog lie and let go of any plan to tamper with the Emirate Council Law of the state.
While reacting to the allegations of a plan to remove the Sultan from office, the state governor in a press statement signed and made available to newsmen by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Abubakar Bawa, dismissed the rumour in its entirety.
Bawa urged MURIC to remain apolitical in its dealings, saying the recent statement credited to the body on plans by the state government to sack the Sultan of Sokoto was baseless and untrue.
He said, “The attention of the Sokoto State Government has been drawn to a malicious publication credited to the Muslims Rights Concern alleging a plan by the state government to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.
“The state government wondered how a responsible body like MURIC, claiming to be protecting the rights of the Muslims would descend so low and cheaply as to join hands with deluded mischief makers and enemies of progress to fabricate such a false and unsubstantiated story just to create an unfriendly atmosphere and fear in the minds of the law-abiding and peaceful citizens of the state.
“We believe that MURIC is not the type that will be dancing to the tunes of enemies and mischief makers who are trying to take away the attention of the good people of Sokoto State and Nigerians on the transformative initiatives taking place in Sokoto State over the last one year.
“We also like to assure MURIC that the present administration, just like the previous administrations in the state, cherishes and respects the Sultanate Council long before MURIC was established. The Sultanate Council, which has a long-standing historical importance, is so revered by all the people of Sokoto State. Therefore, we still hold the institution in very high regard and esteem.
“This is not the first-time stories such as this were fabricated to show that all is not well between the state government and the Sultanate Council, as some few months back, we had a similar obnoxious story which the state government categorically condemned and denied in whole and its entirety.
“From the look of things, those nefarious detractors and distracting enemies of progress have not relented in their failed efforts to smear the cordial relationship existing between the state government and the Sultanate Council,” the state government’s statement emphasised.
It added, “MURIC should have cared to find out if there was ever any query, warning, or any threatening documents served on the Sultan by the state government. We equally like to remind MURIC that promoting Islamic affairs is the second item on Ahmed Aliyu’s nine-point Smart Agenda, therefore, Islam means so much to the present administration, coupled with the fact that Sokoto being the Seat of the Caliphate, is a 100 per cent Muslim-dominated society.
The spokesman for the governor also urged the Vice President to always verify facts generated from social media before commenting, especially on sensitive national matters. He said the story of the Sultan’s planned removal was false and just an imagination of the writer.
The statement further read, “This is coming in the wake of a recent pronouncement made by the Vice President in Katsina State regarding the false story circulating that the Ahmed Aliyu-led administration is planning to remove Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar. We sincerely expected the Vice President to have consulted the governor before going public.
“The state government urges Vice President Shettima as the No. 2 citizen to have full knowledge on issues of national concern before commenting on them. As an elder statesman and a father to all, he should have facts and figures before judging issues raised by mischief makers and the mushroom social media handlers known for negative propaganda. The fact of the matter is that there was never any attempt to sack the Sultan, nor have we sent him any threat regarding that.”
The statement, which noted that the Sultan enjoyed all the powers he was entitled to, maintained, “We never denied him any of his freedom or rights. We, therefore, do not need to be told to guard, protect, and promote the Sultan. It is our sole responsibility. The government and people of Sokoto State cherish and adore the Sultanate Council and will do everything possible to protect the dignity of the revered institution. The government to this end reassures all Nigerians that it will continue to protect the Sultanate Council and its dignity at all times.”
