The Sultan of Sokoto and spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has publicly addressed activist and two-time presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, praying that he might one day become the President of Nigeria.

Naijaonpoint reports that the unexpected remarks were delivered at an event organized by the National Peace Committee, titled “A Whole-of-Society Approach to the Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria,” which took place at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja. Archbishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, a prominent convener of the National Peace Committee, was also present.

During his welcome address on the persistent challenges of insecurity in Northern Nigeria, the Sultan directly addressed Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters.

The Sultan referred to him as “President Sowore,” specifically noting that he was using a small ‘p’. He then prayed that Sowore would eventually occupy Aso Rock Villa as Nigeria’s president and invited him to respond with “Amen.”

Video footage of the event reportedly shows Sowore responding to the Sultan’s remarks with appreciative gestures.

More significantly, the Sultan used the opportunity to caution Nigerian authorities against attempting to silence critics and dissenting voices, a sentiment widely interpreted as a pointed reference to the political and legal pressures frequently faced by Sowore.

The Sultan stressed that allowing dissenting voices to speak is healthier for society than repression.

He noted that he had looked forward to hearing Sowore speak at the event, though the activist was not listed among the speakers and reportedly left after the first session.

The Sultan said, “So I want to thank the NSA, and I urge you, don’t look back. You have criticisms, you have critiques, let them talk, but listen. Those you would bring close to you, like President Sowore, bring him close.

“When I say President, I mean President with small p, not capital P. It’s only President Tinubu that has capital P. Say Sowore, come close, say your own mind, because the more you allow somebody to bring out what is in chest, the better for you and him. The moment you turn down somebody, I try him and then you allow him to go haywire.

“I think it’s very important. So when I was coming in, I met President Sowore there. I was very surprised to see him, but I’m also very happy to see him, because we’ll hear from him what are the issues that he thinks the government should do or must do for him to be a happier person.

“Because when he’s happy, the people that follow him, that respect him, that believe in him, will also be happy. And that’s life. But the more you tie somebody down, tie his neck, twist him, and he can’t talk, he will be saying ‘hmm, hmm’, you don’t know what he wants to say.

“But let him open his mouth and say what he wants to say. So President Sowore, I invite you to feel free to come to me as you used to. We met a couple of times at the peace committee meetings when you were running for presidency.

“Maybe one day you’ll be at this Aso Villa as president. You didn’t say amen.”

You may also like