The purported plot to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad, has drawn the objection of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
The rumour of underground move to displace Sultan was brought to light by Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, with the comment of Vice president, Kashim Shettima at an event in Sokoto State seemed to have confirmed it.
However, the All Progressives Congress led-government of the state debunked it.
Weighing in on the matter, MACBAN, an advocacy group centered on promoting the welfare of Fulani pastoralists in a statement its National President, Alhaji Baba Othman-Ngelzarma released frowned on any attempt to take the Sultan down, saying, “We believe protecting and preserving the institution of the Sultanate is a cardinal responsibility of every right-thinking personality in the country.“We call upon the Sokoto State Government, especially the legislature, to tread softly and do all that is necessary to preserve and protect the institution that represents an all-important ideology that created it.
“Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) is worried by the media reports alleging that the Sokoto Government intends to whittle down the powers of His Eminence the Sultan, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III,” the statement said.
Othman-Ngelzarma stated that MACBAN stood firmly with the Sultan, adding, “because we believe he deserves better as he has shown the capacity to uphold justice and equity in all his dealings.
“This is evident in his efforts to propagate religious and ethnic tolerance in Nigeria among diverse groups.“His background as a military man, his resoluteness to speak the truth and his standing for the poor and underprivileged despite being an aristocrat makes him a model for leaders to emulate.”
