Alleged Plot To Depose The Sultan Of Sokoto Revealed

There is an alleged plot by Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State to overthrow the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) issued a warning regarding the supposed plot in a statement released on Monday, June 24, 2024.

It is worth noting that the alleged plot in Sokoto occurred amidst ongoing disputes and unrest regarding the removal of some monarchs in Kano State.

The Governor of Sokoto State had previously removed 15 traditional rulers for various infractions.

In his press release on Monday, the head of MURIC, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, stated that Nigerian Muslims are opposed to any idea of removing the Sultan.

The statement reads: “Feelers in circulation indicate that the governor may descend on the Sultan of Sokoto any moment from now using any of the flimsy excuses used to dethrone the 15 traditional rulers whom he removed earlier.

“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.

Don’t miss out on any real-time information. Join our WhatsApp group to stay updated.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN

“Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with because the Sultan combines the office of the Sultan of Sokoto and that of the President General of the NSCIA.”

Akintola warned that Governor Aliyu should not force Nigerian Muslims to take a drastically revolutionary measure.

He mentioned that for many years, Nigerian Muslims have been willing to tolerate a traditional leader as their head of state, viewing it as an unavoidable flaw in their societal framework that they have come to accept.

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

“For the avoidance of any doubts, Sultan Muhammad Sa’d 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.

“Nigerian Muslims North and South of the country may be constrained to pick Islamic scholars only as President General of the NSCIA and overall leader of Nigerian Muslims.

“It will be farewell to the leadership of traditional rulers over the NSCIA and an irreversible departure from Sokoto’s priviledged leadership position. But history will not be kind to Col. Yakubu Muazu and Ahmed Aliyu for ruining the chances of Sokoto.

“Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, 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 reiterates its call 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 the emirs including the Sultan.

“We urge Northern elites and Islamic scholars based in the North to intervene before it is too late. 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.”

The Sokoto State Government has not responded to the MURIC’s claim yet, although it previously mentioned plans to revise section 76 of the local government and chieftaincy law to match the current norms in the state.

At present, the power to select district and village leaders is vested in the Sultanate Council.

Yet, in reality, the Sultanate Council’s role is more advisory, offering suggestions to the state government, which then decides on the appointments.

Nasir Binji, the state’s attorney-general and justice commissioner, has made it clear that the proposed changes are intended to make the legal system more in line with the traditional practices in Sokoto.

In an interview with journalists following a State Executive Council meeting, Binji elaborated that the new proposal would keep the Sultanate Council’s role in suggesting candidates but would transfer the decision-making power to the governor.