The Sokoto State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to reduce the powers of the Sultan of Sokoto for the first and second reading.
The bill, titled the Sokoto Emirate Council Amendment Bill, if passed into law, seeks to, among other things, strip the sultan of powers to appoint the kingmakers and will also strip the sultan of powers to appoint district heads without government approval, among other things.
Recall that controversy has trailed this move which so many believed was to whittle down the powers of Sultan of Sokoto? Top amongst This critics is Nigerian Vice president Shettima who accused the govt of plans to dethrone the Emir
However the Sokoto State Government have replied Vice President Kashim Shettima over claims that the state government is planning to depose the Sultan.
The state government urged Shettima to always verify facts before reacting or commenting on sensitive national matters.
The state government made the call in response to the public warning Shettima made at the Northwest Security Summit in Katsina on Monday,
It said the Vice President should have contacted Governor Ahmed Aliyu to verify the news which made rounds on the purported plan to depose Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar before going public.
According to the statement by Governor Aliyu’s spokesman, Abubakar Bawa, the Vice President should always have full knowledge of issues of national concern before commenting on them.
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.”