Muslim Rights Concern, again, on Wednesday, raised a fresh alarm that the Sokoto State Government is still bent on deposing the Sultan, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III.
MURIC’s fresh alarm is coming inspite of the denial by the Sokoto State Government on the reported alleged plan to depose the Sultan.
MURIC Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made this fresh allegation on Wednesday in a statement.
According to Akintola, a bill titled, “Sokoto Emirate Council Amendment Bill” has passed through the first and second readings and if passed into law, the Sultan of Sokoto will be stripped of certain powers.
On Monday, MURIC had alleged that Sokoto State Governor Aliyu was planning to depose the Sultan. This prompted Vice President Kashim Shettima’s comment urging the state government to rather protect and promote the institution of the Sultanate. But the Sokoto State, on Tuesday, denied such a plan.
The MURIC boss declared the amendment condemnable as it’s an attempt to diminish the influence of the Sultan.
Akintola stressed that the section of the chieftaincy law which empowers the governor to remove the Sultan should be amended.
His statement read, “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.”
MURIC accused the Sokoto Governor of preparing the ground for dismantling the Sultanate Council and setting up his own personal Sultanate Council, that will be under the firm control of the government.
Akintola noted that this is the only logical explanation for the Governor’s removal of 15 traditional rulers in a single day.
He added, “(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.
“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?”
MURIC said that if these were not done, the deposition of the 15 traditional rulers must be revisited, properly investigated by a non-partisan panel and the panel’s findings published.
The statement further read, “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.”
