…says monarch ‘must be guarded jealously, protected, preserved for Nigeria’s good’
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, on Monday, advised the Sokoto State Government that the monarch, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III must be guarded jealously.
Shettima stated this at the ongoing North West Peace & Security Summit in Katsina State broadcast live on Trust TV.
The VP said, “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’s comments followed the alarm earlier raised by the Executive Director of Muslim Rights Council, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, accusing the Sokoto State Government of allegedly plotting to depose the Sultan.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu had earlier deposed 15 traditional rulers for various offences.
Akintola, in his statement, said Nigerian Muslims would reject any thought of deposing the Sultan.
The MURIC statement had read, “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.
“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 NSCIA.”
But the Sokoto State Government has yet to react to MURIC’s allegation.
The state government earlier said there was a plan to amend Section 76 of the Local Government and Chieftaincy Law to align with prevailing practices within the state.
Under the current law, the authority to appoint district and village heads lies with the Sultanate Council.
But in practice, the Sultanate Council merely provides recommendations to the state government, with the Governor ultimately making the appointments.
Sokoto State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Nasir Binji,
had clarified that the proposed amendment aimed to synchronise the legal framework with the customary procedure in the state.
Binji, while addressing journalists after a State Executive Council meeting, explained that under the proposed amendment, the Sultanate Council would retain the power to recommend candidates, while the authority to appoint would be vested in the governor.
