Sultanate: Court stops Sokoto from removing district heads

As the controversy on the proposed traditional institution law rages in Sokoto State, the state’s high court has issued an order restraining Governor Ahmed Aliyu from sacking two of the 15 District Heads his government earlier removed from their seats.

The order was sought separately by Alhaji Buhari Dahiru Tambuwal and Alhaji Abubakar Kassim, the District Heads of Tambuwal and Kebbe, respectively, who are among the rulers removed by the Sokoto State Government, on the allegation of insubordination and aiding insecurity in the state.

The presiding judge, Justice Kabiru Ibrahim Ahmed, ordered the Governor of Sokoto State, his

Attorney General and the Sokoto Sultanate Council to revert to the status quo, pending the determination of the suit filed before him by the complainants, who were represented by Prof Ibrahim Abdullahi (SAN).

Justice Ahmed, through two orders dated June 16, which were sighted by our correspondent on Thursday,  directed “the defendants, their agents, servants, privies or assigns or any person acting on their behalves to maintain status quo and or stay all actions and or further actions in connection with all matters dealing with and or appertaining to the removal and or dethronement of Districts Heads in Sokoto State,  particularly those of Kebbe and Tambuwal,  pending the hearing and determination of the motion for interlocutory injunction duly filed before the court.”

The development is coming as the state government pushes a bill for the amendment of the Local Government Law, affecting the appointment of district and village heads, to confer the government with exclusive power to appoint traditional rulers.

Already, the sacking of the 15 district heads and the proposed bill in Sokoto has generated swift reactions across the country, with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, calling on the Sokoto State Government to regard the Sultan as an idea that must be preserved and protected, while former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, demanded that traditional institutions must be protected from the “excesses of state governors”.

The Muslim Rights Concern, in two separate statements, also warned the Sokoto State government to shelve the idea of removing the Sultan of Sokoto or whittling down his powers.

The Sokoto State House of Assembly had on Tuesday passed the bill for a second reading and subsequently referred it to a House Committee.

A public hearing on the bill is expected to be held next week on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Commissioner for Information, Sambo Danchadi, told The PUNCH that the government had no plan to remove the Sultan but was only working to streamline the traditional law in the state.

Danchadi said, “It is true that we are streamlining the traditional law and very soon you will hear from the Assembly when the bill is laid on the table of the House.

 “Concerning those traditional rulers they were talking about, there was nothing like removal but we just made an amendment and ensure that those who are supposed to be there are given the position.

“The law on traditional rulers’ appointment in the state has not changed; it is the traditional council that nominates while the government only approves their nomination.

 “They are only using what happens in Kano to raise tension in the state, but I can assure you that the government has no intention of such.

 “Our streamline of traditional rulers law has nothing to do with the Sultanate seat. So, no cause for tension whatsoever.”