Vice President Kashim Shettima has issued a stern warning to the Sokoto State Government regarding an alleged plot to depose Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III.
Speaking at the North West Peace & Security Summit in Kaduna on Monday, June 14, Shettima emphasised the importance of protecting the Sultan.
“In all developmental issues in this country, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, I want to use him as a point of reference to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here,” Shettima began.
“And to the deputy governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you.
“Yes, the Sultan is the Sultan of Sokoto, but he is much more than that; he represents an idea, he is an institution that all of us in this country need to jealously guard, protect, promote, preserve, and project for the growth of our nation.”
This warning comes amid concerns raised by the Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Isiaq Akintola, about the Sokoto government’s alleged plans to dethrone the Sultan.
Akintola noted that Governor Ahmed Aliyu had previously removed 15 traditional rulers for various offences and suggested that the governor might use similar excuses to target the Sultan.
“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,” Akintola said.
He further warned, “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.
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