EXCLUSIVE: Nigerian Muslim leaders set to battle Sokoto govt over “disrespect” to Sultan

PREMIUM TIMES can report that Nigerian Muslim leaders have taken a stance to protect the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, from any form of “disrespect” by the Sokoto State Government.

At a 2nd July meeting in Abuja, the General Purpose Committee (GPC) of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) reiterated its “absolute confidence” in the organisation’s President General and Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, for his exemplary leadership and committed service to Islam and the Nigerian Muslim Ummah.

Sources at the meeting told PREMIUM TIMES that members then vowed to do everything that is legal, legitimate, and reasonable to protect Sultan Abubakar from any form of humiliation and disrespect by any individual, group, or government.

The committee, chaired by the NSCIA Secretary-General, Ishaq Oloyede, a professor, said that any iota of disrespect to the NSCIA leadership in the country would henceforth be considered a direct affront to the Islamic faith and its followers.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the committee is reacting to recent developments regarding the Sokoto State Government’s perceived disrespect of the Sultan.

Last month, the Sokoto government submitted a bill to the state’s House of Assembly seeking to amend legislation on the appointment of traditional rulers in the state. If passed into law, the bill would, among other things, strip the Sultan of the power to appoint kingmakers and district heads without government approval.

Some said the move was disrespectful to Sultan Abubakar. There have also been speculations that the Sokoto government was planning to depose the Sultan the way one of his predecessors, Ibrahim Dasuki, was removed from office in 19996 during the military government of Sani Abacha.

The state government dismissed those concerns as efforts by “mischief makers” to embarrass it. The administration added that the government’s relationship with the Sultanate Council has always been cordial and would remain so.

As the President-General of the NSCIA, the Sultan of Sokoto is the number one leader of all Nigerian Muslims.

Therefore, at the meeting on 2 July, members of the General Purpose Committee (GPC) of the NSCIA strongly advised government and political leaders at all levels to continue to accord the traditional institution and its holders the due respect that they deserve, especially where such is combined with Islamic leadership.

“This is to ensure the protection of our cultural and religious heritage for sustainable peace and national development,” the committee resolved.

The Sultan was not present at the General Purpose Committee meeting led by Secretary General Oloyede. When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Oloyede on Sunday to confirm the meeting’s details, he simply said the committee would issue a communique soon.

But some attendees at the gathering said participants fumed at the Sokoto government’s treatment of the country’s pre-eminent Muslim leader and vowed to mobilise faithful nationwide to confront the administration should it fail to back down on its plot against Sultan Abubakar.

“The Sokoto State government should realise that the Sultan is not just a traditional ruler; he is a religious figure of national and international repute,” one attendee said, asking not to be named because he had no permission to discuss deliberations at the meeting with journalists. “We will not allow anyone to humiliate him in any way when he has done nothing wrong.”

NSCIA salutes Sultan Abubakar

Earlier, the Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) of the NSCIA expressed its support for the Sultan and applauded his bridge-building efforts across regional and religious divides for national peace and cohesion.

The EGPC meeting, which was held on 30 June and attended by most of its members, was presided over by the Sultan and the two Deputy Presidents-General: the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, and Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo.

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Prominent among the traditional rulers at the meeting were the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar; Emir of Kazaure, Najib Adamu; and Emir of Gummi, Justice Lawal Gummi.

Other members at the well-attended meeting included present and past senior members of both the bench and the bar, current and former ministers, heads of agencies, both private and public, captains of industries and respected scholars at the various strata of the educational system.

At the end of the meeting, the EGPC discussed the perceived disrespect of Sultan Abubakar by authorities in his home state of Sokoto.

But to avoid the Sultan being a judge in his own case, the matter was referred to the NSCIA’s GPC led by Secretary General Oloyede. That body then met on 2 July, resolving to resist any disrespect to the leadership of the Muslim Ummah by anyone or authority.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the NSCIA will release the communique of its deliberation on the matter in the days ahead.