Yakubu Busari
The Stakeholders of Jos North /Bassa Political Front have accused FADILATU SHEIKH MUHAMMAD SANI YAHAYA JINGIR ,the National Chairman of Ulama’u Council, JIBWIS National Headquarters, of creating political rumble between the voters against Rt.Hon. Ibrahim Baba-Hassan by calling people to disregard his endorsement of Gwani Abubakar on sself-aggrandizementand selfish Islamic agenda
The spokesman of the group, comrade Joe Daniel Ramadan disclosed this in a press conference held in Jos North LGA on Wednesday.
The statement alleged that,at such perilous times when ethnoreligious sentiments reign supreme in our political culture and practice, widening the gap between individuals and groups to extreme extents of polarizing humanity, the pulpit should be an instrument to promote peace, harmony ,and love.
TApulpit is a tool that should enable followers of different faiths and creeds to share in the universal qualities ordained by God Almighty but they finger Sheikh Jingir for using Islam to promote bigotry and inciting hatred among the electorate in Plateau state
Over the years, religious leaders owe it a duty to promote peace, harmony ,and the best practice of their various faiths such that they are honored as stakeholders in a liberal and democratic society. This, has gone on for centuries but not without compromising the basic essence of religious beliefs and society has evolved from primordial interests into a global village of unity devoid of individual or group interests with social attributes and deficiencies, so to speak.
Gone are those days when respected religious leaders commit upon themselves, the role of God in displaying the fundamentals of their faith with cynical justifications to what they prefer to insinuate or suggest to their congregations. A modern method of redefining old practices to suit strictly a clannish interest.
“The sacred role of the religious pulpit and a sad commentary of sensationalism and extreme sentiments in a liberal and democratic atmosphere of greedy and self-aggrandizement and political blackmail.
It is no longer news that a respected cleric, FADILATU SHEIKH MUHAMMAD SANI YAHAYA JINGIR, National Chairman of Ulama’u council, JIBWIS National Headquarters, Jos, Nigeria, has chosen to assume the pivotal role of supreme leader by making political endorsements to his far-reaching audience of whom he prefers to be voted or not voted into leadership roles “.
A selective method that shuns the neutrality of purpose and sets poor precedence and a sad commentary to not only his congregation, but to a vast majority of people of different backgrounds, ethnic nationalities, religious beliefs, and the society at large. This questions the true role of religious leadership in a multi-ethnic and diverse society. It begs the question as to whether their role is to UNITE or DIVIDE the masses using avenues of gullibility and economic vulnerability.
Let it be known that political leadership should and cannot be chosen based on primitive or primordial sentiments to an extent that it pitches one group against others. Party politics should not be an avenue for promoting selfish or selective interests, especially for religious leaders.
Fact is, World over, political leaders are chosen based on pedigree and a mandate to serve all and sundry whom they are called to represent for public interest and mutual growth depending on whomever the majority of the people choose to represent such interests, especially in a country sorely divided into primitive lines.
Recently, SHEIKH MUHAMMAD SANI YAHAYA JINGIR went public with his “personal choice” of political candidates and aspires to insist that his congregation all those who care to listen, follow suit which raises curiosity as to whether there is an underlying arrangement to deny others the right of free will or choice of who the people prefer to represent their interests as a people and as a nation. This is rather an outdated mechanism when the people are enslaved and limited to the choices made by their elites on matters that affect them directly or indirectly.
To be very specific, the Jos North / Bassa federal constituency boasts of over 400,000 electorates and a population of over 1million. This includes professionals, artisans, farmers, traders, business men/women, the youths, women, the old and young. People of diverse ethnicities and faith. People known for excellent accomplishments as individuals and groups. People of various interests and inclinations who have recently been bartered with the very unfortunate tribal and religious clashes and struggles that incurred massive losses of lives and properties. A people who have come together to look beyond self aggrandizement and work towards a common goal of uplifting the plights of each other. This certainly does not guarantee a complete harmony and neither does it call for further testaments from religious leaders that seeks to further deepen the divide and at this point, it is needless for a cleric to openly be selective based on personal and religious tenets.
It goes without saying that as much as clerics are revered and respected to be both pivots and anchors of the society by ensuring that whoever takes up a mandate to assume leadership roles, are equally mandated and encouraged to bring fairness, equity and justice to those whom they have chosen to serve and since it is not a religious office, such clerics must be aware that such divisive sentiments can only broaden an existential political crises where people get marginalized once a set of people openly choose not to support certain candidates and candidacies.
A cleric should play a “fatherly” role to those intending to contest as whoever emerges may have a sense of family in the society with an equal responsibility to serve the needs of the masses and not just for a few interested parties and in such events and circumstances that a cleric goes all the way to show favoritism beyond merit and pedigree owing only to primordial sentiments, it goes well to speak of the negative message such precedence seeks to achieve with a very high tendency to relegate the collective goals of which liberal democracy seeks to gain.
Gone are the days that the people wait for “stakeholders” who are meant to protect their interest at critical times and fail to do so, just to come during every electoral cycle only to purchase the conscience and consciousness of the people through emotional blackmail and religious sentiments. A very dangerous card to play amidst a very diverse and complex society.
One is then tempted to ask the cleric, “what if his candidate is not returned as elected?” Does that then mean that his congregation become shortchanged of representation? Should there be a turn of events that places his “chosen” ones at a disadvantage, will it then question the faith of his audience? Is that what politics have been exalted and reduced to all at the instance of those who should serve as a moral compass to society? This is ridiculous and must be condemned at an instance.
We, as concerned members, especially from the vast demography, extraction and complexity of Bassa / Jos North federal constituency, drawn from various ethnic nationalities, backgrounds, faith and creed, wish to state in very clear terms that it is no longer business as usual for an individual to assume the position of God in our history to deprive us of our choice to select those we prefer to represent our various interests given the circumstances and backed by the laws of the land that provides the liberty for citizens to make choices based on prevailing principles and actual realities.
We resist and reject in totality, any individual or group, who for personal gains or reasons, prevail on the innocent masses and the entire public, to vote for selected candidates of their own choosing, with an agenda to serve selfish purposes or interests.
This goes to further bring to the attention of the public that when some persons desperately seek to impose political opinions on the masses, it hardly serves the interest of the general public, but for a few.
THE TRUTH AND ONLY REASON FOR SHEIKH MUHAMMAD SANI YAHAYA JINGIR’S CHOICE FOR A CANDIDATE.
The respected cleric’s choice for a candidate is none other than a religious, sectional, faith-based and creed allegiance. He openly declared that the Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan has been perceived to mingle with people from various ethnic and religious folds. He (JINGIR) has connoted that the standard flag bearer of the APC was seen to have moved beyond religious sentiments to unite the complex and diverse people of the federal constituency to harmonize on the gains of the relative and collective purpose of his quest to serve.
The free-minded and concerned people of Jos North / Bassa federal constituency have chosen to look beyond ethno-religious attachments for a choice of a leader who is readily accessible, acceptable, experienced and ready to commence legislative business from day one and whose mandate is not only for a selected few or a group of interests that do not represent the yearnings of the people.
The “endorsed” candidate of the cleric is not known to have campaigned aggressively across board as much as the Rt. Honorable Ibrahim Baba Hassan and the ONLY card he relies upon is the religious endorsement and sentiments deployed by the cleric to a fixed congregation. It further remains a pointer that if such tactics are not resisted through the supremacy of the ballots, there shall remain a stagnant method of imposition and injustice to the freedom of choice for the many diverse people of the zone while throwing away a legacy of quality representation owing to clandestine schemes of a few who are expected to promote equity and fairness to the people.
Closing…
Such acts of whipping up sentiments in the face of politics must be discouraged in strong terms and for the record, such offices are not religious positions and whoever emerges, must be one who strikes a balance between the various ethnicities, faiths, calling, professions or creed and it is in this regard that we are calling on all well meaning persons and groups to go with one who has demonstrated such courage and quality, one who for 16 years in the State House of Assembly has displayed enormous defiance to ethnic, religious or class difference. One who does not differentiate between the rich or poor, the young or old, one faith or the other and one who has given a lot of time and energy to uplift the plight of the common man. One who has contested under the three major political parties contending today (APC, PDP and LP) to emerge victorious in all instances.
It is in our highly considered opinion that the person who embodies and personifies such tremendous quality with a high sense of purpose and courage to bring people together with a vast experience in the legislative business remains, The Rite Honorable Ibrahim Baba Hassan. A man who has over the years, presented a wide range of honesty, dedication, passion and incredible love to the people across and beyond ethnic or religious considerations. He remains our valid choice and we shall not be swayed into the antics of a few individuals who do not look beyond immediate interests or sentiments.
As we prepare to go to the polls come February 25th, 2023, let us understand that such tough times in the life of our nation requires tough individuals who are to serve the popular interest of the masses and not that of a selected few.
We call on the Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan to answer our earnest call and not relent in our passionate appeal for him to go forward and take our collective resolve to the national front!
May we all succeed in our call to nationhood.
Our best wishes to ALL the good people of Jos North / Bassa federal constituency, Plateau State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.