• Sultanate an institution to be guarded jealously, Shettima warns
• Muslim leader’s alleged support for Tambuwal blamed for ‘Cold War’
• Look before you leap, MURIC advises Aliyu
• NEF kicks as CNG flays attacks on Northern heritage
• Don’t let Kano ‘virus’ infect Sokoto, Sani cautions

Fresh facts emerged yesterday showing why Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, might be plotting to depose the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, or whittle down the latter’s powers.

The move, which has stirred tension in the northern part of the country and among the Muslim community, came barely a month after the Kano State House of Assembly reviewed the state’s Emirate Law, paving the way for the dethronement of five Emirs, including Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, and the reinstatement of Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Kano, meanwhile, is yet to recover from several aftershocks that have rocked the state following the historical upset. The alleged plan by Aliyu to tamper with the Sokoto State Traditional Council Law has drawn reactions from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who advised the state administration to be circumspect in handling relationships with the Sultan.

The Sultan is the head of the National Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). At the ongoing North West Peace and Security Summit in Katsina State yesterday, the Vice President described the Sultanate as “an institution that all of us in this country need to guard jealously, promote, protect and preserve for the growth of our nation.”

He said: “Our father, who is a permanent figure 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 here. And to the Deputy Governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you. Yes, the Sultan of Sokoto is the Sultan, but he is much more than that. He represents an idea.”

Concerns that the Sultan’s seat was under threat followed a report that the governor had obtained the approval of the state executive council to forward a bill to the Sokoto State House of Assembly, seeking to amend the existing law on appointment and deposition of traditional heads.

The bill seeks to strip the Sultan of the power to appoint, suspend, punish, or transfer any traditional ruler, and vest the same in the governor.

The Guardian investigation revealed there had been no love lost between Governor Aliyu and the Sultan, who has been accused of allegedly failing to support Aliyu’s governorship bid since 2019.

When contacted, spokesperson for the governor, Abubakar Bawa, declined comment on the matter and ended the phone conversation with The Guardian. 

It was gathered that the current move by the governor against the Sultan trailed the outcome of the 2019 governorship election in the state where he was defeated by former governor Aminu Tambuwal. 

It was gathered that the governor is still offended that the Sultan allegedly backed Tambuwal, besides other allegations that the Muslim leader made many moves that undermined the incumbent’s authority.

Tambuwal, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 512,002 votes to beat the current governor who was the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), and garnered 511,660 votes.

Recall that the governor was a onetime deputy to Tambuwal. They fell apart after Tambuwal defected from the APC to the PDP prior to the 2019 poll.

A source close to Tambuwal told The Guardian that the incumbent governor and some of his supporters were still bitter over the 2019 contest.

The source said: “There have always been issues between the Sultan and the governor, which started in 2019. The Sultan has always been alleged to be backing the former governor, Tambuwal. There was even a time during the 2019 elections when APC members pelted Sultan’s house. The PDP, at that time, had nine strong people in the House of Assembly, and the APC saw the Sultan as number 10.

“Since that time, the people in APC said they would change the Sultan if they won. But APC didn’t win. Now, APC is in power. And looking at what is happening in Kano, which has proven that one can easily remove the Emir… The Sultan is still very close to Tambuwal.”

The source also said part of what made the governor angry was when the renowned international Islamic scholar, Dr Zakir Naik, visited Sokoto, late last year, to take part in the 10th yearly Usman Danfodiyo Week celebration.

The Week is organised by the Sultanate Council to commemorate the life and death of the great Islamic reformer who founded the Sokoto Caliphate, Sheikh Usman Danfodiyo.

The source said the scholar was invited to Sokoto personally by the Sultan without informing the governor. He said: “The Sultan invited Zakir Naik in 2013, and 10 years later, Naik came back to Sokoto and the Sultan did not inform the governor. There was a video trending on social media where the Sultan allegedly said that he was the Sultan and under the law of Islam, he could invite any scholar to come and give a lecture. I think it was towards final day that the governor saw Naik.  

“However, there is not much tension because most people know that Sokoto is not like Kano. The Sultan is a much respected person. Most people, even from the APC, will stand against it. They won’t let that happen. The Sultanate Council is about the lineage of Uthman Danfodio.”

It was gathered that Vice President Shettima, at about Ramadan, had intervened in the Cold War between the governor and Sultan.A source said the Vice President, who “came to Sokoto immediately after Sallah prayer, spoke to both of them. But what happened after the meeting was that the governor set up a committee to review allegations against some district heads. But surprisingly, an APC leader in the state chaired the committee, and its report led to the recent removal of 15 district heads by the governor.”

The Sokoto government had once planned to amend Section 76 of the Local Government and Chieftaincy Law to align with current practices within the state. Currently, the Sultanate Council provides recommendations for the appointment of district and village heads but the governor has the final authority to appoint.

THE Executive Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, yesterday, raised the alarm over alleged plan by Governor Aliyu to remove the Sultan.

“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,” Akintola said.

Akintola warned: “A military governor, Colonel Yakubu Muazu, exposed this soft underbelly when he deposed Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki on April 20, 1996. Nigerian Muslims will be forced to make a hard decision if Sokoto governors continue to diminish the authority of the Sultan.”

He said: “For the avoidance of any doubts, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar is not only the Sultan of Sokoto but the Sultan of the Nigerian people. His performance and style of leadership have warmed him into the hearts of Nigerians. It will be a farewell to the leadership of traditional rulers over the NSCIA and an irreversible departure from Sokoto’s privileged leadership position. But history will not be kind to Col. Yakubu Muazu and Ahmed Aliyu for ruining the chances of Sokoto.” He cautioned that repeated negative actions against the Sultan would not be tolerated.

“Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, and the third time is enemy action. If the deposition of a Sultan and NSCIA leader happens a second time, Nigerian Muslims will not allow the embarrassment to happen a third time.”

MURIC called on the Sokoto State House of Assembly to “either repeal or review the state’s chieftaincy laws by adding the phrase ‘except the Sultan of Sokoto’ to Section 6, Cap 26 of the Laws of Northern Nigeria, which empowers the state governor to depose Emirs including the Sultan.”

Akintola also urged Northern elites and Islamic scholars to intervene promptly. He added: “This is the time to lobby the Sokoto State House of Assembly and the governor himself. If the chieftaincy laws of Kano State can be repealed within 24 hours, nothing stops that of Sokoto State from being reviewed in favour of immunity for the office of the Sultan in a single day, to save Nigerian Muslims from humongous embarrassment.”

Also, National Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Groups, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, described the alleged move by the Sokoto State government as an attack on the heritage of Northern Nigeria. 

While calling on the governor to have a rethink, he asked clerics in the region to speak out against bastardisation of the traditional institution. 

He said: “It is very unfortunate that somebody who has only four to eight years will come and destroy the symbols of Northern Nigeria. We have raised the alarm before. If traditional institutions would be involving themselves or participating in political matters, this is what will be happening. The traditional institutions also have their own problems. Why would they be intervening in politics?

“The clerics in the northern part of the country should come out massively, voice out their concerns and stop this mentality of the politicians. We cannot allow a politician who merely spends either four or eight years, at most, to think of destroying all our traditional institutions. 

Spokesperson of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said while there have been no concrete moves against the Sultanate stool by the Sokoto State government, MURIC appeared to be taking preemptive steps to avert the unfolding scenario in Kano. He said the proactive stance is understandable, given the current emasculation of traditional institutions by politicians in the region.

Suleiman said: “It is both unfortunate and disturbing that politicians, across various administrations, have scandalised traditional institutions and ridiculed the customs and traditions that these institutions seek to uphold. The manipulation and abuse of traditional institutions have become all too common, with history shamefully rewritten and falsified to serve certain agendas, often painting the revered Emirs as the culprits and guilty parties.

“In light of this, it is essential for northerners to exercise a high sense of responsibility, showing restraint while remaining firm and focused in the face of potential threats to traditional institutions. By remaining vigilant and united in their efforts to preserve these valuable aspects of their culture and heritage, the people of northern Nigeria can safeguard the integrity and relevance of their traditional institutions for generations to come.”

Also, a former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, on his X handle, issued a warning to the governor, saying the Sultanate is not owned solely by the people of Sokoto State but by many stakeholders.
 
He said: “Even though it’s a subject of speculation or conjecture, I appeal to the governor of Sokoto State not to allow the viruses that infected the Kano emirate to infect the Sultanate.”