The Sultan Met president Tinubu over “two most sensitive fault lines” in the North–Insider reveals
The Sultan Met president Tinubu over “two most sensitive fault lines” in the North–Insider reveals
Sultan Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar, Nasir El-rufai, President Tinubu Sultan Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar, Nasir El-rufai, President Tinubu
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III on Sunday, March 15th met president Bola Ahmed Tinubu in what was reported as a courtesy visit to the presidential villa.
The visits comes a day after general Yakubu Gowon (rtd), Nigeria’s former military head of State, made similar visit to the president. His visit also, is preceded by that of general TY Danjuma (rtd).
An insider has confirmed that the sultan’s Aso Rock visit was not ceremonial as reported but a meeting that finally happened after series of postponements.
According to the source in the presidency who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Sultan met president Tinubu who is preparing for his official trip to UK, to discussed “two most sensitive fault lines in the north”.
The sultan vastly seen as the religious head of the north, had requested to see president Tinubu some weeks ago. Firstly, the meeting could not hold at the initial scheduled date due to president Tinubu’s engagement. It was rescheduled for March 15th.
The sultan according to the source, met president Tinubu to seek his intervention in the ongoing case of Nasir El-rufai, former governor of Kaduna State who has been in custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Using his position, the Sultan demanded that president Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervenes in Nasir El-rufai’s case, citing that his continued detention without trial poses some political threat to president Tinubu in the north as the vast majority of the northern populace believe that Nasir El-rufai is being held in detention unjustly.
The sultan is the father of the north. He has been seeking to meet the president for several weeks now. The meeting had been scheduled but was later shifted because of Mr. President’s engagement. I believe he came to discuss the two most sensitive fault lines in the north now. The issue of Nasir El-rufai is the number one. We all know that El-rufai has been in detention for more than two weeks now. So the sultan came to seek Mr. President’s intervention for Nasir El-rufai to regain his freedom and reunite with his family”.
When asked what the president’s response to the Sultan’s request for Nasir El-rufai’s release from detention, the source stated: “I do not know for now but I believe the discussion was short and direct. So it means the Sultan was not here to beg but to appeal for Nasir El-rufai’s release”.
Secondly, the source stated that issue of US military presence in Nigeria was discussed and the aggravating insecurity in Sokoto state and other northern states especially in the northeast. According to him, the Sultan sought clarification from the president over the 200 US military personnels in Nigeria as well as speculation about US plan to have a permanent military base in the north.
You know, the issue of US soldiers in Nigeria, the official statement is that they are here for training purposes but you know, it’s a very sensitive issue in the north so it was discussed by them. It’s also being rumoured that Nigerian has allowed the US to build a permanent military base in the country, so that was part of the discussion”.
