The leaderships of the South West Muslims on Wednesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, dissociated themselves from the Akure, Ondo State meeting purported to have been held with them by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
The Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria, Prof. Dawud Noibi; the Chief Imam of Ibadanland and also the President-General of the League of Imams and Alfas for the South West, Edo and Delta States, Sheikh Baosari Suara Haruna; and the Chairman of the Muslim Community of Oyo State, Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, disowned the Akure meeting.
They described it as a Ondo State affair.
The trio said the meeting has nothing to do with the leaderships of the Muslim Ummah in the South West, Edo and Delta States.
Noibi, who spoke though MUSWEN Media Consultant, Alhaji Femi Abbas, said the leadership of the group has decided not to meet any politician or political party because it was aware of desperate moves by some unscrupulous politicians to break the rank and file of the Muslims in the South West as they did with the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“The six billion naira CAN scandal is still fresh in our memory,” he said.
According to Noibi, there is no prominent Imam from the South West at the meeting “because we all agreed not to be part of such clandestine move.
“No single Chief Imam from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun attended the meeting except for Chief Imam of Owo who doubles as the Ondo State Muslim Community chairman and equally Secretary General, League of Imams and Alfas South West, Edo and Delta States, Alhaji Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe.
“Aladesawe is only playing (Governor Olusegun) Mimiko’s card. He did that for his own interest.”
Haruna described the meeting as politically motivated.
He denied ever sending a representative to the meeting.
He said: “I am in Ibadan as we speak. I never ask anybody to represent me. Whoever said he represented me at the meeting is an impostor. He should be arrested and be prosecuted. Whatever benefits such person received either in cash or kind will not be useful to him.”
Sanni dared any Imam at the meeting to campaign for President Goodluck Jonathan on the Minbar if he will not be stoned.
He said: “Those who went there are dollars-hunger clerics. They dare not come out and tell the public their mission at the meeting, else they will be stoned. We understand Sheikh Aladesawe was under pressure from Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, to support President Jonathan.
“President Jonathan has forgotten so soon how he treated the Muslims during the composition of the National Confab. Now he is running from post to pillar seeking our support. He has shown that he is not for us and it’s high time we also deny him.”
