Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Another tension in Sokoto with a recent move by the state government under Governor Ahmed Aliyu of the ruling All Progressives Congress -APC.
Nigerian media have recently been dominated by stories alleging that the Sokoto State Governor is planning to remove the Sultan of Sokoto who served as the spiritual leader of all Nigerian Muslims as the custodian of the Sokoto Caliphate which was established by Sheikh Usman bin Fodio in 1804.
The caliphate lasted for hundred (100) years before the British colonialists conquered all the Emirates under it in 1904.
Despite the British taking over of the Empire, the Emirs under the former Islamic Caliphate still consider the Sultan of Sokoto as their spiritual leader.
Sa’ad Abubakar, a retired military general, is the current Sultan of Sokoto and the leader of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Nigeria.
The dethronement Allegations
The news of the Sokoto State governor’s intention of removing His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto came all most after one month after the removal of Kano Emir Aminu Ado Bayero and the dissolution of four other Emirates in Kano State, and the reinstatement of the former Central Bank of Nigeria’s -CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who was dethroned by the former Kano State governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who is now the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress -APC.
Even though the reasons for the removal of Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar the III were not known as a popular Non-Governmental Organization; MURIC expressed concern over the allegations.
Sokoto State Government deposed 15 traditional rulers
As the Sokoto governor Ahmed Aliyu deposed fifteen traditional rulers, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC ) a nongovernmental Organization in Nigeria expressed concern over the sour relationship between the governor and the Sultan of Sokoto as well as the rumor of impending dethronement of the Sultan.
Professor Ishaq Akintola is the Executive Director of Muslim Rights Concern -MURIC. He said Nigerian Muslims reject any thought of deposition of the Sultan.
“The governor of Sokoto State Ahmed Aliyu deposed 15 traditional rulers on 23rd April 2024. That was two months ago.
“However, feelers in circulation indicate that the governor may descend on the sultan of Sokoto any moment from now using any of the flimsy excuses used to dethrone the 15 traditional rulers whom he removed earlier, he said.
MURIC also advises the governor to look before he leaps. The Sultan’s stool is not only traditional. It is also religious. In the same vein, his jurisdiction goes beyond Sokoto. It covers the whole of Nigeria. He is the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims.
Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with.
The deposition allegations and the move by Sokoto State House of Assembly to alter the chieftaincy law
The deposition allegations and the move by Sokoto State House of Assembly to alter the chieftaincy law.
The allegation of removing the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, who doubles as President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) is a source of concern to many Nigerians including politicians, human rights activists, and the general public.
The MURIC advises the governor to look before he leaps. The Sultan’s stool is not only traditional. It is also religious. In the same vein, his jurisdiction goes beyond Sokoto. It covers the whole of Nigeria. He is the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims.
“Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with because the Sultan combines the office of the Sultan of Sokoto and that of the President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
Governor Ahmed Aliyu should not force Nigerian Muslims to take a drastically revolutionary measure. Having a traditional ruler as a leader has been a condition Nigerian Muslims accepted a long time ago as a necessary weakness in the structure in which they have to live.
A military governor, Colonel Yakubu Muazu, exposed this soft underbelly when he deposed Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki on 20th April 1996. Nigerian Muslims will be forced to make a hard decision if Sokoto governors continue to diminish the authority of the Sultan.
For the avoidance of any doubts, Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar is not only the Sultan of Sokoto but the Sultan of the Nigerian people. His performance and style of leadership have warmed him into the hearts of Nigerians.
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 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 Professor Akintola stated
The need for the Sokoto State House of Assembly to have a second thought
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 Northern elites 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 favor of immunity for the office of the Sultan in a single day to save Nigerian Muslims from humongous embarrassment” MURIC urged the Assembly.
Sokoto State government’s reaction to the allegations
The Sokoto State Government has dismissed reports of its plans to dethrone the Sultan as fabricated stories meant to create discord.
The Sokoto State Government has strongly refuted allegations made by the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) regarding an alleged plan to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, describing the claims as malicious and unsubstantiated.
Abubakar Bawa is the Press Secretary to the Sokoto State Governor. He expressed disappointment that a respected organization like MURIC would align with what he described as deluded mischief makers and enemies of progress to spread false information and incite fear among the citizens.
“The attention of the Sokoto State Government has been drawn to a malicious publication credited to the Muslims Rights Concern (MURIC) 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.” he said.
Bawa emphasized the longstanding respect and reverence the Sokoto State Government holds for the Sultanate Council, adding that the current administration, led by Governor Ahmed Aliyu, values the Sultanate’s historical and cultural importance, a sentiment that has been shared by previous administrations
He also dismissed the claims as part of a pattern of fabricated stories aiming to create discord between the state government and the Sultanate Council.
“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 referred to 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. the state governor spokesperson said.
Bawa reiterated the current administration’s commitment to promoting Islamic affairs, highlighting that it is a key point in Governor Aliyu’s nine-point Smart Agenda.
He asserted that no administration in the history of Sokoto State has done as much for Islam as the current administration has in just one year.
“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. MURIC should have cared to find out if there were ever any queries, warnings, or 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 percent Muslim-dominated society.
It is on record that no administration in the history of Sokoto State has done to Islam what the present administration has done in just one year. This we say without any fear of contradictions.
Therefore, for anyone to think that the present administration could engage in acts or actions that could jeopardize the development of Islam is not only unfair but unjustifiable. To put the records straight, we would like to tell the world that the relationship between the Ahmed Aliyu-led administration and the Sultanate Council under the leadership of our most respected monarch, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has been very cordial.
The present administration always consulted with His Eminence, the Sultan on issues affecting the state, and his invaluable contributions and inputs are always respected and included in policy implementation.” he added
Addressing the recent sacking and transfer of some District Heads in Sokoto State, Bawa clarified that the actions were based on serious allegations such as land racketeering, aiding insecurity, and insubordination.
A committee had been set up to investigate these allegations, providing fair hearings before making recommendations.
On the issue of the sacking and transfer of some District Heads in Sokoto State, MURIC should know that the affected District Heads were accused of some unbecoming behaviors, such as land racketeering, aiding insecurity as well as insubordination to the constituted authority. To give them a fair hearing the committee summoned all the affected District Heads, after which it came up with a white paper report, advising the government on what to do.
And it was based on that and also in the public interest that the state government acted in conformity with the recommendations made by the white paper committee. It is equally important for MURIC to note that nobody is above the law, therefore, the sacked District Heads are just reaping what they saw, and that the action taken by the Sokoto State Government was indisputably in the best public interest.” Bawa stated
To end this piece is to call on all the state governors to avoid any action capable of creating more tensions, especially in states like Sokoto which face different security challenges.
The Kano Emir ship puzzle should serve as a lesson to other states like Sokoto, which hosts the number one traditional title of Sultan in Nigeria as it represents the whole Muslim.
MURIC statement should be considered as advice in the right direction. The Leader of the Organisation Professor Akintola seems not to disrespect the Government of Sokoto State but advises it to take the right direction in this critical time.
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