Sokoto govt still targeting Sultan, MURIC insists

Despite the denial of the Sokoto State government on the reported plan to depose the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has insisted that the traditional ruler is still being targeted for deposition.

Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Executive Director of MURIC, said this in a statement, on Wednesday.

He said a bill titled ‘Sokoto Emirate Council Amendment Bill’ has passed first and second readings and if passed into law, the Sultan of Sokoto will be stripped of certain powers.

This is coming on the heels of MURIC’s allegation that the Sokoto State governor Aliyu is planning to depose the Sultan and Vice President Kashim Shettima’s comment urging the government to rather protect and promote the institution of the Sultanate.

The Sokoto State government has, however, denied such a plan.

Akintola said the amendment is condemnable as an attempt to diminish the influence of the Sultan.

He said the section of the chieftaincy law, which empowers the governor to remove the Sultan, should be amended.

“This bill is outrageous, nauseating and anachronistic. It is a direct attack on the traditional institution of Sokoto State. Instead of entrenching the powers of the Sultan, it is an undisguised attempt at weakening his powers and making him less relevant in the scheme of traditional settings,” Akintola said.

He said that the governor is preparing the ground for dismantling the Sultanate Council and setting up his own personal Sultanate Council, which will be controlled from the Government House.

The MURIC boss said this is the only logical explanation for the governor’s removal of 15 traditional rulers in a single day.