MUSLIMS in Ondo State have described as unsettling and disappointing, the decision of major political parties in the state to ignore an unwritten agreement bordering on the presentation of Christian-Muslim tickets for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
They described the situation as an indication that Muslims in the state were in for a ‘serious marginalisation’ in the area of governance for the next four years.
At a meeting of the Akoko zone of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Muslim stakeholders wondered why none of the parties considered Muslims as either governorship candidates or deputy governorship candidates in the October election despite the large number of Muslim politicians in the parties.
The chairmen of the group in Akoko North-West and Akoko North-East local government areas, Sheikh Basiru Aminu and Alhaji AbbdulGaniy Bello Olodeke, described the neglect as deliberate step to sideline Muslims despite their numerical strength in the state.
According to them, it was “this agreement” that brought about the emergence of two Muslims, Alhaji Ali Olanusi and Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, as deputy governors at different times in the state.
Sheikh Aminu noted that of all the states in the South-West, only in Ondo and Ekiti have refused to implement “this simple agreement.”
He said: “Such an agreement ought not to be ignored by any political party that needs Muslim votes and support. Such an agreement ought to be honoured for the sake of religious harmony and peaceful coexistence.
“We condemn this neglect in very strong terms as we foresee marginalisation and our treatment as second-class citizens in a state where Muslims are more than 40 percent of the population.”
Also, Alhaji Olodeke said: “Experience has shown that when Muslims are appointed as commissioners, they are assigned to non-core ministries.
“To advance the cause of Islam and make Muslims relevant in Ondo State, any political party among the major ones must be ready to offer Muslims the positions of chief of staff, secretary to the state government and appoint a reasonable number of them as commissioners in key ministries.
“With this kind of assurance, Muslims in the state will be mobilised and they will vote massively for such a party.”
The group condemned the political violence at Idanre which, it said, claimed a life, noting that do-or-die politics is un-Islamic as Allah does not allow shedding of blood to achieve whatever goal.
It appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to consider reversing the recent hikes in electricity tariff and the price of petrol so as not to compound the hardship being faced by the masses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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