“Redressing and reconstructing your formula for state appointments and nominations to Federal offices, which have consistently excluded and marginalized the Muslims in your party and in the state will not only redeem your government’s image but also salvage your Party’s standing in future political engagements in Ondo State.”
*Photo: Gov Akeredolu*
MUSLIM SOCIETY OF NIGERIA ONDO AREA UNIT
17/05/2023
AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY ARAKUNRIN ODUNAYO OLUWAROTIMI AKEREDOLU (SAN) ON HIS SKEWED POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS WHICH HAS PRECIPITATED INJUSTICE AND UNPRECEDENTED INEQUALITY AGAINST THE MUSLIMS IN ONDO STATE.
We believe this letter will meet you in peace and high spirit. We salute your unprecedented tactics in the administration of the Sunshine state. We want to congratulate you on the brilliant outing in the last general election which we believe is unprecedented. We pray the out come of the 2023 general election in Ondo State will bring hope and prosperity to the downtrodden and the traumatized segments of the State.
We were surprised that you came out boldly to challenge the zoning formula as it affects the House of Representative leadership. You did not mince words when you described the zoning formula as a “Skewed arrangement that reinforces Injustice and enhance inequality “You believe that the “Content, intention and motives of the zoning formula represent early signs of steps aimed at attempt to cabin the hard-earned Presidency” of Bola Ahmed Tinubu “by a few individuals with eyes on Aso-Rock Power Button”.
You openly criticized the zoning formula for the National Assembly leadership position proposed by your party because to you it is dangerous and the move is “on the behest of interested personalities with perceived closeness to the president elect” You believe it will “manifestingly lays the dangerous foundation of distrust (and) needless suspicion”.
We were surprised that your Excellency believes in this and could go all the way out to openly articulate your mind when it could be done one-on-one with His Excellency the President Elect who, without any doubt, you are very close to. We are equally dumbfounded that you believe that a political formula which is skewed against some groups or individuals can lay “dangerous foundation of distrust and suspicion ” Mr. Governor what do we say about your formula which has deliberately been skewed against the Muslims in the state?
It is on this note that we the Muslim Youths in Ondo State feel the need to dispense the huge burden of keeping silent in the face of your skewed political appointments that has precipitated injustice and unprecedented inequality against the Muslims in Ondo State.
We know you as a courageous and fearless governor. You were outstanding when other governors were wavering on National issues. We salute your candor that is garnished with pointblank articulation, but your Excellency, he who will call for equity must come with clean hand. The way you have treated the Muslim Community in this state in the last six and half years reflects a deliberate attempt at not only excluding this Community from all critical appointments but also frustrating the political prosperity of this traumatized segment of the state.
As at today we have only three known Muslims in your 22-man cabinet. All critical Government officials are Christians. This includes You Mr. Governor, the Deputy Governor, Chief of Staff, Secretary to the State Government, The Speaker, Deputy Speaker and the Majority Leader of the House of Assembly; The Chief Justice as well as all the Judges in the state; The Head of Service, Chairman Civil Service and Teaching Service Commission; All Permanent Secretaries, all Board Chairmen, all Senators, including that of Ondo North which has an absolute majority Muslim Population; Members of House of Representative Elect. The only Muslim from the state who is a House of Representative Member who won his election as a lone ranger in SDP lost in the last General election even after joining your great party APC! All nominations to federal appointment from Ondo State are skewed against the Muslims. You choose to nominate less competent individuals who are Christians even when we have more qualified and competent Muslims within your party. Even the Party Structure is not left out of the dangerous formula. The Party Chairman, his deputy, Youth leader and women leader are all Christians. This is but just to mention a few of how your formula have been skewed against the Muslims in things that matters in the State.
If you Mr. Governor will reject the zoning formula of your Party at the national level on the ground that “it is skewed and targeted against some zone and identified individuals” we are made bold to say your appointment is skewed and targeted against the Muslims in Ondo State and identified individual Muslims within the APC family. If you have a strong conviction that what your party have done at the national level will breed dangerous, needless suspicion and distrust then this your formula of appointment and nominations to Federal offices will not only be dangerous but catastrophic to the political relevance of the Muslims in the state. We say this unworkable arrangement has reinforced injustice and enhanced inequity against the Muslims that constitute 40% of the population of the Sunshine state.
We call on you to follow the path of purity and justice which you are advocating. There is the need to redress this injustice against the Muslims of the Sunshine state. We have notable Muslims who have hugely contributed to the success of your party in Ondo State. These Muslims have consistently put everything on the line to ensure victory for your party not only in previous elections, but most importantly the last general election. We are made bold to say that you could not deliver the state to APC Presidential Candidate in 2019. However in the 2023 General Elections the doggedness and commitment of the Muslims in your Party came through for you. These Muslims in APC invite like minded Muslim even outside the party and they jointly aggressively mobilised the Muslims (and non Muslims) across the state to vote massively for all candidates of your party especially the President-elect. Skewing them out of your formula of appointments into the state administration and nomination to Federal offices will amount to being far from the justice and equity which you are advocating.
We believe a stitch in time saves nine. Redressing and reconstructing your formula for state appointments and nominations to Federal offices, which have consistently excluded and marginalized the Muslims in your party and in the state will not only redeem your government’s image but also salvage your Party’s standing in future political engagements in Ondo State.
Thank you and God bless.
Engr. Olaleye Sulaimon A
President (Ameer)
Muslim Students Society of Nigeria Ondo Area Unit.