Middle Belt Forum rejects proposed permanent co-chair role for Sultan of Sokoto in Traditional Rulers Council

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has firmly rejected a controversial provision in the National Council for Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024, which proposes to make the Sultan of Sokoto a permanent co-chairman of the proposed national traditional council.

In a strongly worded statement signed by its National Spokesperson, Luka Binniyat, the MBF said it “unequivocally rejects, abhors, and condemns” the move, describing it as an affront to the region’s diverse cultural heritage and a distortion of Nigeria’s historical realities.

The Bill, sponsored by Senator Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South), has passed second reading in the Senate and is before the Committee on Establishment and Public Service.

It seeks to formalise a national council of traditional rulers with the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife as permanent co-chairmen.

While the MBF reserved comments on the inclusion of the Ooni of Ife, it categorically opposed the institutionalisation of the Sultan’s role.

The group argued that the Sokoto Caliphate was historically junior to several monarchies in the Middle Belt, such as the Aku Uka of Wukari, Attah of Igala, Etsu Nupe, and Tor Tiv—all of whom, the Forum says, represent indigenous traditions that predate or were never conquered by the Caliphate.

“The Tiv Nation was never conquered by the Sokoto Caliphate. The Tor Tiv stands as the supreme symbol of a proud and resilient people,” the statement noted.

The MBF further emphasised that the Sultan’s role was primarily religious, serving as the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, and questioned the appropriateness of placing a religious figure at the head of a secular national council.

The statement also raised concerns over the Sultan’s patronage of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), an organisation the Forum linked to violent Fulani herdsmen accused of killings and displacement in the region.

The MBF said the Sultan’s failure to clearly distance himself from MACBAN’s alleged atrocities rendered him unfit for the position.

The Forum warned that if the bill was passed with the clause intact, Middle Belt traditional rulers would boycott the council and might form a parallel Council of Middle Belt Traditional Rulers.

To preserve national unity and justice, the MBF proposed that the chairmanship of the council be rotational, tenure-based, or democratically decided by the traditional rulers themselves.

“The Middle Belt can no longer accept a subordinate position to the Sultanate of Sokoto or any traditional institution that does not reflect our history, culture, or aspirations,” the statement concluded.

The group vowed to resist the clause using every lawful and democratic means, insisting that Nigeria’s pluralism must be respected in both spirit and structure.

[Credit: Citizens TV]