The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has insisted that the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, is still under threat of deposition, despite the Sokoto State government’s denial of a plan to depose the Sultan.
Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Executive Director of MURIC, made this statement on Wednesday.
He explained that the Sokoto Emirate Council Amendment Bill has passed its first and second readings, and if it becomes law, the Sultan of Sokoto will lose certain powers.
This development follows MURIC’s accusation that Governor Aliyu of Sokoto State intends to depose the Sultan, and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s remarks urging the government to protect and promote the Sultanate institution. The Sokoto State government has denied any such plan.
Akintola condemned the amendment as an attempt to undermine the Sultan’s influence.
He argued that the section of the chieftaincy law enabling the governor to remove the Sultan should be amended instead.
“There are reports that the Sokoto State House of Assembly is currently rushing through a bill which it called Emirate Council Amendment Bill. The bill has passed through the first and second readings within a very short period.”
“If passed into law, the Sultan of Sokoto will be stripped of certain powers, including that of appointing the kingmakers and district heads without government approval. This bill is outrageous, nauseating, and anachronistic. It is a direct attack on the traditional institution of Sokoto State. Instead of entrenching the powers of the Sultan, it is an undisguised attempt at weakening his powers and making him less relevant in the scheme of traditional settings,” Akintola said.
He claimed the governor is laying the groundwork to dismantle the Sultanate Council and establish a personal Sultanate Council controlled by the government.
The MURIC leader cited the removal of 15 traditional rulers in one day by the governor as the only logical explanation.
“(Governor) Ahmed Aliyu is exhibiting the symptoms of fascism, totalitarianism, and prebendalism. Nigerian Muslims are already asking, ‘Why the rush?’ Why are they rushing the bill if there is no hidden agenda? The whole exercise is suggestive of political motivation.
“The governor is barely one year in office and he has removed 15 traditional rulers. How many will he remove by the time he spends four years? That is reckless. It is acrobatic administrative reform at breakneck speed. The governor needs to slow down.
“The governor is barely one year in office and he has removed 15 traditional rulers. How many will he remove by the time he spends four years? That is reckless. It is acrobatic administrative reform at breakneck speed. The governor needs to slow down.
“Were the offences of those 15 traditional rulers who were removed ever published? Were they given the chance to defend themselves? Were the reports of the investigations made public in order to conform with democratic norms and global best practices?”
Akintola argued that if these procedures were not followed, the deposition of the 15 traditional rulers should be reconsidered, with a proper investigation by a non-partisan panel and publication of the panel’s findings.
“The state government came out yesterday to deny any plan to remove the Sultan but we can all see what it is doing secretly now. What explanation does the governor have for the sudden interest in hijacking the Sultanate Council?
“This is further evidence that Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State is deceiving Nigerian Muslims. It is a manifestation of a strange crave for absolute power. MURIC calls the attention of Sokoto lawmakers to this disturbing development. What the good people of Sokoto State need now is a stable Sultanate Council. That is our pride. An ever-swinging traditional pendulum will cause fluctuation of values and norms. The citizens will experience blurred vision, nightmarish dreams, and scattered goals,” Akintola said.
