MUSWEN stands in Solidarity with Sultan

By Fatih Lawal-Garu

Amidst Alleged plot to depose the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar by the Sokoto State Government. The official umbrella body for Muslims in the south west The Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) has indicated support for the Sultan of Sokoto.

In a press statement by MUSWEN signed by its President , Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo who is also the Deputy Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs South, it urged the Sokoto State Government to resolve any lingering issues with the Sultan rather than bring the person of the Sultan into disrepute.

Part of the statement read, “We believe that the information making the rounds in that regard is in the realm of rumour-mongering.”

“For the records, be it known that, we Yoruba Muslims hold Sultan Abubakar in the highest esteem. He has been a bridge-builder, successfully unifying the 150 million Nigerian Muslims from different cultural backgrounds.”

“Since his ascension to the throne as Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, the nation has recorded over 90% reduction in inter-religious conflicts.”

“For these reasons and others, Sultan Abubakar has earned the love of all as a proponent and actualizer of harmonious and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians of all tribes and faiths.”

Recall that Professor Ishaq Akintola of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) had raised the alarm last week over plans by Governor Ahmad Aliyu to depose the Sultan.

While addressing journalists he said, “The Sultan of Sokoto is not an ordinary traditional ruler who controls just his town or city. He is a paramount ruler, a first-class traditional ruler who controls all the monarchs, all the chiefs and emirs in the state. Not only that, he is also the President-General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. That is the umbrella body for all Muslims in Nigeria. If you remove him, you have not only removed the Sultan of Sokoto, you have also removed the leader of the Muslims in Nigeria without consulting those Muslims. Today, the population of Nigeria is around 220 million.”

“Out of the 220, Muslims constitute around 150 million. Muslims must be concerned if there is evidence that a governor is planning to remove the Sultan. We cannot say it cannot happen. We have seen so many governors who have exercised their executive power.”

“When the governor of Sokoto removed 16 traditional rulers, we saw the signal.”

“They don’t consult the Muslims when doing this kind of thing. The Muslims around the country. Not even the Muslims in Kano are consulted. Those in Niger are not consulted. With a stroke of the pen, the governor will just sign the deposition and we said it will not happen again because if they keep dethroning the Sultan and head of the Muslims, the embarrassment will continue ad infinitum.”

“That was our major reason for coming to say no, we don’t want this embarrassment again. It has happened before, we don’t want it to happen again.”

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