The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, has refuted and referred to a recent post claiming to be him endorsing Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party as false.
The Sultan of Sokoto released a nine-paragraph statement disputing the veracity of the article headed "Breaking: Sultan of Sokoto Writes," which has been going around on social media. Mr Bashir Adefaka, who is listed as a member of the Sultan's Media Team, provided the statement to reporters.
He claimed that the allegedly written poem could not have originated from him or his immediate surroundings.
It has since been proven false that the Sultan actually said, "Hold me responsible if Peter Obi didn't perform well, the problem of the North is from the north, not Peter Obi or an Igbo man, it will be worse and more deadly for the North if Tinubu wins, and if they tell you an Igbo man is the problem of Nigeria, tell them Igbo man never rule Nigeria before and north is the world's capital of poverty."
Adefaka said that it has happened before for partisan gain to use the name of a renowned person or Sultan by spreading a false rumour.
” Unfortunately for these pitiable political campaigners, Sultan of Sokoto is – strictly speaking – a traditional ruler and leader of Muslims of Africa’s most populous country. As a retired Army General, his discipline, commitment and unalloyed loyalty to Nigeria is non-negotiable.
” The statement is fake because such an irresponsible write-up, credited to him, could not have emanated from anywhere near or around His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA),” Adefaka said
On Wednesday and Thursday, he said, the Sultan hosted several influential people, including the outgoing and incoming GOCs of the Eighth Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto, Major Generals O. Bassey and Godwin Mutkut, and the Vice Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima.
” It would interest Nigerians to know that the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Dr Peter Obi, was not one of those that paid a visit to the palace, be it on Wednesday or Thursday. So, how some agents of discord whose stock-in-trade thrives on cooking falsehoods and peddling of fake news think that they can get through with this remains unknown to common sense,” he said
The spiritual leader challenged those spreading the hoax article, saying they must disclose a copy of the letter reportedly written by the Sultan or a video or audio clip in which he endorsed Peter Obi and denied APC Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Sultan warned that if the accusers “cannot, and of a surety they cannot,” they should stop spreading “this indefensible claim and unpardonable lie” in His Eminence’s name.
” It should, however, be made clear to the good people of Nigeria that this, like many others in the past by the Peter Obi campaigners, would not stop the Sultan from continuing to play his role as a multifaceted leader and father of all and so, his doors will remain open to all aspirants across all parties and other meaningful people from across the country.
” More important to the Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar at this time and always are security, peace and unity of Nigeria, especially as the nation is fast moving into its long-planned and heavily invested general elections,” Adefaka’s statement read.
Since the Royal father is not a politician, he stated, “any incoherent claims of naysayers be ignored,” and the Sultan will continue to back all efforts that will contribute to the election’s victory.