THE TRIO of Alhaji Sule Lamido, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, and Bishop Hassan M. Kukah are no greenhorns in their respective vocations: politics, advocacy for inclusive governance, and evangelical activism.
Lamido is fixated on shouldering the burden of a political party; Akintola’s fixation is Muslim rights, while Kukah is fixated on speaking “truth” to power. Their callings may seem unrelated, but as the nation drifts into dangerous territory, robust party politics, inclusive governance, and speaking truth to power are needed to pull it back from the brink.
Lamido responded to this rascality by boycotting future party meetings. Given how the party has been captured by other interests, it may take a long time before he resumes attending PDP meetings — perhaps only after the 2027 elections.
Lamido’s Fixations
Lamido’s politics is defined by shifting fixations and obsessions. In the Second Republic, he was fixated on change, and in the Fourth Republic, he became entrenched in the PDP’s national politics. His body language suggests that since the party is the political legacy of the G9 — a club to which he belonged — it should remain undiluted and ossified within the boundaries set by its founding fathers. He still expects it to remain relevant, if not forever, at least for the remainder of the Fourth Republic.
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For Lamido, the PDP is more than a political party. It is a conflation of party, political gospel, dreams, and obsessions — transformed into an overarching political reality that shapes his proactive and reactive responses in national politics.
His tender attachment to the party made Lamido passionately defensive of its earlier transgressions: its refusal to let the North complete late President Yar’Adua’s tenure, its prevention of the North from exclusively producing its presidential candidate in 2023 in line with its zoning policy, and the imposition of Okowa as a running mate, which imploded the party.
To Lamido, the PDP was always right; it could do no wrong and was beyond reproach.
Belatedly, it has dawned on him that the PDP has strayed from the ideals of its founding fathers. Once proudly the largest party in Africa — capable of pushing a sitting vice president out of its fold — it is now too weak to sanction even an errant member.
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Lamido responded to this rascality by boycotting future party meetings. Given how the party has been captured by other interests, it may take a long time before he resumes attending PDP meetings — perhaps only after the 2027 elections.
Akintola’s Concerns
Piqued by violations of Muslim rights and discriminatory policies against them, Professor Ishaq Akintola of Lagos State University (LASU) established the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) in October 1993 as an advocacy group to promote and defend Muslim rights.
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Its mission includes abolishing discriminatory policies that infringe on Muslims’ constitutional right to practice their religion as they deem fit.
Despite the 2021 judicial restoration of female Muslim students’ right to wear hijab — after the Raji Fashola government infringed upon it in 2013 — Professor Akintola’s concerns have not abated. Muslim rights remain unguaranteed, and discrimination persists even under the APC’s Muslim-Muslim government.
The declaration by Works Minister David Umahi that Christians constitute 62% of government appointments, while Muslims — at least as populous as Christians — hold only 38%, belies claims of an inclusive government.
An incontrovertible Kukah “truth” is: “Those who have leverage over others use it to oppress them.” The only flaw in this statement is its generalization — applying solely to ethnic and religious “others.” It overlooks the fact that oppressors exist in all groups. Beyond the elite, no single ethnicity or religion holds a monopoly on oppression in Nigeria.
Additionally, the discriminatory policy of offering a two-week free railway ride during Christmas while denying the same privilege during Sallah festivities has heightened Akintola’s concerns about ongoing infringements on Muslim rights.
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Bishop Kukah’s ‘Truths’
A viral social media homily titled “Bishop Kukah Speaks Truth to Power” reveals his episcopal propositions on the state of the nation. Given their number, only a few with implications for national unity and cohesion can be discussed here.
Kukah states: “In this country, the same standards are not held against all.” No one could be more right. When one religious group holds 62% of political appointments while another — equally populous — must make do with only 38%, his point is vindicated. And when the group with 62% enjoys free train services during its religious festivities while the other is denied the same privilege, Kukah’s assertion that “the same standards are not held against all” is reinforced.
This disparity aligns with Kukah’s next proposition: “Some can get away with anything, but others can’t get away with something.” This “truth” aptly describes the ruling class, which escapes accountability for nearly everything, while ordinary citizens cannot even protest against their policies. Here, too, Bishop Kukah is correct.
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Among Kukah’s other truths are: “Everyone knows what is good for them. If you don’t know what is good for you, then shut up and don’t obstruct those who do. And if I had my way, I would cease to be a Nigerian because there is no sense of nationhood.” These propositions could inadvertently advance terrorism. Terrorists believe they know what is best for themselves, and Kukah’s logic implies that those who disagree should not obstruct them.
After three decades of MURIC’s establishment, its founder, Prof. Akintola, must remain extra vigilant in protecting Muslim rights and fostering interfaith cooperation. As for Bishop Kukah, he should articulate his truths about the nation’s state without resorting to ethnic and religious sentiments. Nigeria could fare better without some of his “truths.”
Another troubling assertion by Kukah is: “I want independence from a country that embraces terrorists and terrorizes agitators.” This dangerously separates separatist agitations — however violent — from other forms of terrorism, tacitly condoning and subtly encouraging them in an already divided nation.
An incontrovertible Kukah “truth” is: “Those who have leverage over others use it to oppress them.” The only flaw in this statement is its generalization — applying solely to ethnic and religious “others.” It overlooks the fact that oppressors exist in all groups. Beyond the elite, no single ethnicity or religion holds a monopoly on oppression in Nigeria.
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Furthermore, Kukah claims: “Otherwise, how can one explain the audacious impunity of a certain section of this country? They can intimidate everybody, even a sitting president, and get away with it.” No ethnic or religious group can intimidate everyone, including a sitting president. Kukah conflates Nigerians’ democratic right to change their government with intimidation by ethnic or religious “others.”
Final Notes
Had Lamido’s tender feelings for the PDP not been an obsession — had they been tempered by the detached, nurse-it-fully disposition of weather-beaten politicians — the party might not be in its current state. It could have been saved from the political charlatans now driving it to only God knows where.
After three decades of MURIC’s establishment, its founder, Prof. Akintola, must remain extra vigilant in protecting Muslim rights and fostering interfaith cooperation. As for Bishop Kukah, he should articulate his truths about the nation’s state without resorting to ethnic and religious sentiments. Nigeria could fare better without some of his “truths.”
Jahun, a public affairs commentator, writes from Dutse, Jigawa State capital. He can be reached at 07039038088.
