Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Abdullahi.
Cecilia Onah, Lafia
In a bid to ensure peaceful co-existence among residents of the state, the Lafia Emirate Council has dissociated itself from a now-viral video clip credited to the Adon Garin Lafia, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Abdullahi, who claimed to be the Chief of Staff to the Emir of Lafia, HRH Justice Sidi Bage (rtd.).
The video clip had been posted in various social media platforms where the Adon Garin Lafia was seen urging residents of the state to re-elect Governor Abdullahi Sule, for a second term in office.
Abdullahi had in the video clip also paraded himself as the Chief of Staff to the Emir of Lafia.
The Emirate Council in a statement on Monday signed by its Secretary, Alhaji Rayyanu Isa, explained that the content of the video doesn’t represent the character and philosophy of the Lafia Emirate Council, adding that the position of ‘Chief of Staff’ does not exist in the Emirate Council.
According to him, the Emir and Emirate Council have been at the vanguard of the advocacy and promotion of peaceful co-existence of all citizens of Nasarawa State over the years.
Isa lamented that the entire content of the video were utterances that whip up and seek to draw matters of religion into the politics of the State.
He described the video clip as unfortunate and retrogressive, adding that the provocative utterances by the Adon Garin Lafia were done at his own personal volition and never at the instance of the First-Class Monarch nor the Emirate Council.
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“The Lafia Emirate Council wishes to state categorically and without equivocation that it doesn’t and has never had the position of Chief of Staff in the Palace of the Emir of Lafia as portrayed in the video and do not recognize the said Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Abdullahi or any other person within its Council in the purported position of the Chief of Staff.
“The general public is therefore advised to disregard the retrogressive video clip and continue to sustain the good virtues of religious harmony and peaceful coexistence that has been the hallmark of the people of Nasarawa State over the years.
“We all should be committed to eschew violence and ensure that the elections are concluded in the most peaceful manner without rancor and acrimony,” the Lafia Emirate Council Secretary said.
Similarly, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has warned that his administration will not tolerate any form of religious crisis ahead of the March 11, 2023, Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.
Sule stated this in Lafia when he recently held a meeting with leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam.
The governor said that the meeting was necessitated due to the dangerous religious dimension of ongoing politics ahead of the March 11 elections.
Sule, however commended religious and traditional leaders for the peaceful conduct of the February 25, 2023, Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
“Nasarawa State has always been seen as a peaceful place and there are Muslims and Christians in virtually every family. So, the government cannot allow religious crisis in the state.
“If the state is not peaceful, even those inciting people cannot have the time to send those messages, as everybody will be on the run.
“Power comes from God and He gives it to whoever He wants at anytime, so, as politicians, we should only present ourselves to the people,” the Governor added.
