Presidency, Muslim Group Tango Over Bishop Kukah |The Source

By Akinwale Kasali

The Presidency and a Muslim group are in disagreement over a threat by the group to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, to either apologise to Muslim faithfuls over his December 25, 2020, Christmas message, or move out of Sokoto State.

Kukah had, in a blunt, stinging message, accused the President Muhammadu Buhari Government of nepotism, insisting that had Buhari not been a Muslim from the North, his actions could have sparked off a coup in Nigeria.

The message attracted both condemnation and commendation from across the country, including from the Presidency and different religious and cultural organisations. A couple of them had accused Kukah of calling for a Coup, an accusation the respected Cleric, decried and denounced as mischievous.

But on  Tuesday,  an Islamic Group, Muslim Solidarity Forum,  based in Sokoto State upped the ante, as if it just woke up from a deep slumber, seeing that it is reacting a couple of weeks late.

In a release, the Group asked Bishop  Kukah to either tender an unreserved apology to the entire Muslim Ummah over his recent “malicious comments” against Islam or quietly and quickly leave the State.

The acting Chairman  of the Forum, Professor Isa Muhammad Maishanu,while addressing newsmen on Tuesday, stated that Kukah’s statements were capable of breaking the age-long peaceful coexistence among the religious faithful in the country.

“Our intention at Muslim Solidarity Forum is not to hold brief for the President, as he has those who are paid to do that; rather our concern is the image and reputation of Muslims, which Mr Kukah finds pleasure in attacking without an iota of caution, and by referring to him [the president] as a Muslim, that automatically brings all Muslims into the issue.

“His reference to a people who possess ‘a pool of violence to draw from’ no doubt is a reference to those he has always characterized with violence – the Muslims. This is a serious provocation.” Isa Muhammad Maishanu maintained.

“He even has the guts to say the killings we are witnessing in Nigeria are part of a grand religious design! Religious? Who are the victims of the killings?

“What religion do they profess? Is it not a fact that over 90 per cent of those being killed are Muslims?

“Who is behind the so-called design?” he asked.

“These callous statements are unbecoming of someone who parades himself as secretary to the National Peace Committee and a member of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).

“As such, we call on Kukah to immediately stop his malicious vituperations against Islam and Muslims and tender unreserved apology to the Muslim Ummah or else quickly and quietly leave the seat of the Caliphate, as he is trying to break the age-long peaceful coexistence between the predominantly Muslim population and their Christian guests.”

The forum added that “The sensible and objective world knows the truth!

“We wonder how Kukah, who lives peacefully and comfortably in the heart of the Sokoto Caliphate, can make such a callous and senseless statement.” Isa Muhammad Maishanu stated.

But on Wednesday, the Presidency chided the Muslim group for asking Kukah to leave Sokoto state. A Presidential Spokesperson, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said that while Kukah’s statement had angered not a few people, the Group had  no constitutional right to ask him to leave Sokoto State.

All these are playing out a few days after the Department of State Services, DSS, revealed that some people were bent on causing a religious crisis in the country in some states. Sokoto was one of the States it pin-pointed. The DSS asked those with such evil plans to perish the thought, and warned of serious consequences,  and the Service’s  readiness to deal with any such situations.