Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has sent a strong warming to the Sokoto State Government, over alleged plan to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto.
On Monday, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), had alleged that the Sokoto State Government is plotting to dethrone Muhammad Abubakar as the Sultan of Sokoto.
MURIC had urged Ahmad Aliyu, governor of Sokoto, to exercise restraint and not tamper with the traditional institution.
The Islamic group had cited the dethronement of 15 traditional rulers by the state governor in April 2024 as basis for the statement.
The organisation said the throne of the Sultan is not only traditional but religious, adding that the the traditional and religious figure doubles as the head of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
The group warned the Sokoto governor not to “force Nigerian Muslims to take a drastically revolutionary measure”.
While speaking at the ‘Inaugural North West Peace and Security Summit’ in Katsina on Monday, Shettima emphasised that the Sultan is not only a traditional ruler but an “idea”.
The event was organised by the North-west Governors’ Forum and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The vice-president said the Sultan and other traditional rulers in the country need to be “promoted and preserved”.
“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 said.
“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 jealousy guard, protect, promote, preserve and project for the growth of our nation.”
