MURIC fires back at Peter Obi: Forget Sallah ceremony, free Nigerian Muslims

MURIC fires back at Peter Obi: Forget Sallah ceremony, free Nigerian Muslims

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has fired a strong warning to the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, saying that sharing Sallah with the Sultan of Sokoto will mean little to Nigerian Muslims unless accompanied by concrete policies to address what it described as years of religious inequality and exclusion.

MURIC said Obi’s reported promise to spend Sallah with the Sultan if elected president in 2027 was a welcome gesture, but insisted that Nigerian Muslims were no longer interested in political symbolism, Sallah gifts or pilgrimage sponsorship.

The organisation, in a statement signed by its Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Saturday, challenged Obi to tell Nigerian Muslims what he intends to do differently if he wins the presidency.

According to MURIC, Muslims need inclusion in governance and a level playing field rather than presidential ceremonies designed to create political goodwill.

The group said Obi’s proposed Sallah visit to Sokoto was “sheer window dressing” if it was not backed by policies capable of improving the welfare and protecting the rights of Nigerian Muslims.

“We welcome Mr. Peter Obi’s offer as it reflects his willingness to identify with Muslim leaders, particularly our respected and beloved leader, the Sultan of Sokoto. But that is poles apart from a readiness to involve Muslims in governance. We covet the latter and reject the former. It is sheer window dressing,” MURIC said.

The organisation declared that the era when Muslims could be won over with promises of Hajj slots, Sallah cows and Ramadan gifts was over.

MURIC said Muslim voters had become more conscious of what it described as disparities in the country’s political, economic, educational and social structures.

“For gone are those days when eyes were still located at the knees,” the group said, arguing that Muslims now wanted to examine government policies and their practical impact rather than rely on political gestures.

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MURIC alleged that Muslims had been disadvantaged by aspects of Nigeria’s national structure, beginning with the public holiday system.

The organisation questioned why Sunday was recognised nationwide as a public holiday while the Muslim Friday congregational prayer was not accorded similar consideration.

It argued that Muslim workers often had to combine normal work obligations with Friday worship, describing the arrangement as unfair.

“That is not balance. That is not fairness,” MURIC declared.

The organisation also launched a broadside against what it described as the Christian orientation of Nigeria’s educational and legal systems.

MURIC alleged that the country’s educational system, including its administrative arrangements and curriculum, had been structured in a manner that did not adequately accommodate Muslim interests.

On the judiciary, the group demanded what it described as a genuinely plural legal structure involving common law, Sharia and customary law.

It criticised what it called the rejection of Sharia in Southern Nigeria, while noting that common law is accepted across the country.

“The North accepts common law. But the South rejects Shari’ah. That is not inclusivity. That is not acceptance. That is not tolerance,” the organisation said.

MURIC also took aim at the country’s holiday calendar, demanding greater official recognition for Islamic dates.

The organisation questioned why January 1 is recognised as a public holiday while 1 Muharram, the beginning of the Islamic calendar year, is not given similar national recognition.

It described the situation as “official refusal of recognition” and urged political leaders to address what it considers religious imbalance in national policy.

The group further raised concerns over the participation of Muslim women in the Nigerian military.

MURIC alleged that military uniform regulations that do not accommodate the hijab could discourage or prevent some Muslim women from joining the armed forces.

It argued that the issue had implications for employment opportunities and economic advancement for Muslim women.

“Muslim women cannot join the army because the military’s uniform does not accommodate hijab,” the organisation alleged, adding that it considered the matter a question of civil liberties.

MURIC said these were the issues Obi should be addressing if he genuinely wanted the support and confidence of Nigerian Muslims ahead of the 2027 election.

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The organisation insisted that restructuring Nigeria must go beyond political arrangements and include what it called a comprehensive restructuring of opportunities and rights for religious communities.

“Real restructuring must be comprehensive. It must not leave any particular group in perpetual slavery,” MURIC said.

‘We don’t need Hajj sponsorship’

In a striking departure from the traditional demands often associated with Muslim political engagement, MURIC told politicians to stop using government-sponsored pilgrimage as a tool for winning Muslim support.

The organisation said Muslims knew the road to Makkah and could organise their pilgrimage without political sponsorship.

It alleged that government-funded pilgrimage arrangements were sometimes abused by politicians to reward political loyalists and associates.

“Away with the old ways. We don’t want pilgrimage sponsorship. Muslims know the road to Makkah,” MURIC declared.

The group said governments should limit their role in pilgrimage to necessary protocol matters rather than sponsoring individuals.

According to MURIC, such an approach would reduce opportunities for political patronage and ensure that pilgrimage was not turned into a political reward system.

MURIC challenges Obi

While taking a tough stance against Obi’s Sallah pledge, MURIC acknowledged the former Anambra State governor’s efforts to broaden his appeal ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The organisation said it recognised Obi’s second attempt at the presidency and his apparent efforts not to be perceived as an exclusively Christian candidate.

But it said symbolic gestures would not be enough to win its confidence.

MURIC challenged Obi to clearly explain his agenda for Nigerian Muslims and demonstrate how his administration, if elected, would address the concerns raised by the organisation.

“What is his plan for Nigerian Muslims: to continue to enslave us or to set us free?” MURIC asked.

The organisation then delivered its clearest political message to the presidential hopeful: it said Muslim voters were ready to support him if he committed himself to addressing their demands.

“We are ready to vote for you if you promise to address the above issues. The ball is in Peter Obi’s court,” MURIC declared.

The statement comes as political parties and presidential aspirants intensify their engagement with various religious, regional and demographic blocs ahead of the 2027 general elections.

For MURIC, however, the message to Obi is clear: Sallah greetings and visits to Muslim leaders may win applause, but policy commitments, according to the organisation, will determine whether Nigerian Muslims consider a presidential candidate worthy of their support.

MURIC fires back at Peter Obi: Forget Sallah ceremony, free Nigerian Muslims