Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has joined his voice to that of the current vice president, Kashim Shettima on the need to treat the seat of the Sultan of Sokoto and other royal stools without arbitrariness.
In a post on his X handle, @atiku, on Tuesday, he expressed concern about the rumor of the possible dethronement of the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, and the tendency of state governors to distort the modalities of installing traditional rulers.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election posted: “Recent developments in the country have seen a growing tendency of state governments exerting influence in distorting the modalities of enthroning traditional stools.
“It is a reality that stares us in the face from every corner of the country.
“While it is understandable that the institutions of traditional rulership are in the exclusive purview of the state government, although through the local government authorities, it must be established that traditional institutions constitute a component of our governance structure.
“And thus, traditional institutions must be protected from the arbitrariness of state governments that threaten their stability.
“When the structure of ascension of traditional rulers is unstable, it will become equally difficult to maintain peace and orderliness in communities.
“Although our constitution, in its current format, does not ascribe any recognition to traditional institutions, our experiences show clearly that they perform enormous roles in the economic life of their domains, as well as maintenance of peace and security in communities.
“I wish to remind that the traditional institutions formed the governance structures before the advent of the colonialists. And they governed well. “Consequently, they are institutions we must protect and preserve and not destroy.
“It is, therefore, on this basis that I lean towards the advocacy that calls for constitutional reform that will not just recognise traditional institutions in our body of laws but also define the responsibilities of their offices.
“This reform is even more important in view of the collective drive to stem the ugly tide of terrorism and sundry security challenges at the local levels.
“In conclusion, I must also appeal to state governors to accord the necessary respect to the offices of traditional institutions. The customs that our traditional rulers represent is the totality of our heritage as a people.”
Recall that Shettima had on Monday warned the Sokoto State government not to attempt any removal of the Sultan from his throne.
Speaking at the Northwest Security summit in Katsina attended by Sokoto State deputy governor, Idris Gobir, the vice president had 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.”
However, the Sokoto State government has denied any move to dethrone the sultan, admonishing Shettima to check his facts before making comments on issues of national importance.
A statement signed by the spokesman of Governor Aliyu, Abubakar Bawa, said: “We sincerely expected the Vice President to have consulted the Governor before going public.
“As an elder statesman and a father to all, he should have facts and figures before judging issues raised by mischief makers and the mushroom social media handlers known for negative propaganda.
“The fact of the matter is that there was never any attempt to sack the Sultan nor have we sent him any threat regarding that.
“Sultan enjoys all the powers he is entitled to. We never denied him any of his freedom or rights.
“We therefore do not need to be told to guard, protect, and promote the Sultan. It is our sole responsibility.
“The government and People of Sokoto cherish and adore the sultanate council and would do everything possible to protect the dignity of the revered institution. The Government to this end reassures all Nigerians that, it will continue to protect the sultanate council and its dignity at all times.”
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