The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has strongly opposed a provision in the National Council for Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024, that names the Sultan of Sokoto as permanent co-chairman of the proposed council.
In a statement on Sunday, MBF National Spokesman Luka Binniyat said the clause, which also includes the Ooni of Ife as co-chairman, is “deeply troubling” and unacceptable to the Middle Belt.
“While we leave our esteemed partners from the Southern region to determine their position on the inclusion of the Ooni of Ife, the Middle Belt Forum unequivocally rejects, abhors, and condemns the institutionalisation of the Sultan of Sokoto as a permanent co-chairman of this proposed council,” Binniyat said.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South), a prominent Middle Belt politician and traditional titleholder, is currently under review by the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service after passing second reading in March 2025.
Binniyat argued that the Sokoto Sultanate is historically and culturally junior to several traditional institutions in the Middle Belt.
“Historically, the Sokoto Caliphate is a relatively young institution compared to ancient kingdoms and confederacies in the Middle Belt. The Kwararafa Confederacy, which flourished for centuries, predates the Caliphate,” he said.
He noted that the Aku Uka of Wukari, as spiritual heir to Kwararafa, cannot be expected to defer to the Sultan. He also cited the Attah of Igala, Tor Tiv, Etsu Nupe, and other traditional rulers in the region as having equal or greater historical stature.
“The Tor Tiv stands as the supreme symbol of a proud, resilient people who were acephalous and thrived independently before colonial rule. To ask that the Tor Tiv permanently defer to the Sultan in council matters is a gross distortion of historical facts and a violation of indigenous dignity,” he said.
Binniyat also raised constitutional and religious concerns, saying the Sultan’s role as spiritual head of Nigerian Muslims makes him an inappropriate permanent figurehead for a secular council.
“The Sultan of Sokoto is widely acknowledged as the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims… His institutionalised leadership over a national council of traditional rulers would alienate Christians, traditional worshippers, and other faiths, violating the secular spirit of Nigeria’s Constitution,” he warned.
He further accused the Sultan of failing to distance himself from violence linked to Fulani herders, citing his role as permanent patron of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN).
“The Sultan has not done enough to condemn or dissociate himself from these atrocities. Making him a permanent co-chairman under such circumstances is a grievous insult to the thousands of victims who continue to suffer under Fulani militia attacks,” he said.
Binniyat described the clause as an extension of colonial-era subjugation of Middle Belt communities through the emirate system.
“By forcefully placing our autonomous communities under the control of Emirate systems… the colonial authorities created an artificial hierarchy that granted undue privilege and influence to Fulani-dominated Emirates over the indigenous peoples of the Middle Belt,” he said.
The MBF threatened a boycott if the bill is passed in its current form.
“If the Senate passes this Bill with the contentious clause and it is assented to by the President, we will mobilise all ethnic nationalities across the Middle Belt to boycott participation in the Council,” the group said.
“Traditional rulers of the Middle Belt will neither recognise nor attend meetings of a Council whose leadership is permanently skewed in favour of a non-indigenous, religiously aligned, and a lesser monarch status to our traditional rulers,” the statement added.
The MBF proposed a rotational or democratically elected leadership structure to ensure fairness and inclusivity.
“Such a Council must reflect the values of equality, justice, and historical truth. Any attempt to impose a permanent religious figurehead on a national institution of traditional rulers is a violation of Nigeria’s secular character, cultural heritage, and federal structure. We shall resist it using every lawful and democratic means available to us,” Binniyat said.
