By Ishaya Ibrahim
President Muhammadu Buhari may not be enjoying the support of northern monarchs in the 2019 presidential election.
If what is being discussed in hush tunes in the circles of the northern traditional institutions but which TheNiche has been privileged to learn is anything to go by, then Buhari may as well not count on the support of the monarchs from the north for reelection.
A source close to one of the monarchs told us that the thinking within the northern traditional institutions is that they have never been this ignored by a sitting president.
The source said that the traditional rulers have lamented Buhari’s nonchalant attitude towards their office.
Though the source could not say whether any of the opposition presidential aspirants had entered into an agreement with the monarch, but he said most of the monarchs have simply compared what was their status before 2015 and now, and do not intend to fold their hands and allow the government of the day treat them without regard any more.
For instance, it was said that the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, no longer has control over the Muslim Umrah, a position that has never been negotiated with the head of the Muslim community in Nigeria.
The monarchs, the source said, are likely to back whoever will reverse the trend.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirants have cashed in on this development as they go for their primary to throw up Buhari’s main challenger at their convention holding on Saturday, October 6 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to our source, unlike the previous administrations, the Buhari’s government hardly seeks the opinion of traditional rulers nor their input in the running of the affairs of the country, and offers them no perks and privileges which they used to enjoy.
The source said Buhari’s disregard for monarchs may be connected to his childhood when his father was a palace guard and the reason he has a disdain for traditional rulers.
It would be recalled that he had put the then Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuade Okunade and Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero under house arrest when he was a military head of state between 1984 – 1985.
