Sokoto govt also said the Vice President should have contacted the state governor, Ahmed Aliyu before going public
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Sokoto State Government has denied allegation by Vice President, Kashim Shettima that it was planning to dethrone the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, urging him to always verify his facts before speaking on sensitive national matters.
The government gave the advice while responding to the warning Shettima issued at the Northwest Security Summit in Katsina on Monday.
TheNiche had earlier reported that the Vice President recently warned against an alleged plot by the Sokoto State government to remove the Sultan.
At the event attended by the Sultan of Sokoto and the Sokoto State Deputy Governor who represented his boss, Governor Ahmed Aliyu, Shettima said the Sultan is not just the Sultan of Sokoto but an idea that must be protected.
:“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 must jealously guard, protect, promote, preserve and project for the good of our nation.” the VP said.
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Reacting to the allegation, the Sokoto govt frowned at the statement made by the former Borno State governor.
Speaking via a statement issued by Governor Aliyu’s spokesman, Abubakar Bawa, the government said the VP ought to have contacted the state governor, Ahmed Aliyu to verify the news before going public.
The statement read in part, “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 on 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.”
