The Southern Nigeria Muslim Organisation (SONMO) under the leadership of Imam Sheikh Salahudeen Busairi, National Chairman, and Chief Dr. Haroun Ogbonnia Ajah, Director-General, wish to express our dissatisfaction on the current relationship of Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), with the Southern Nigerian Muslims on the acclaimed strategy of the Obidients Movement to ensure the emergence of capable leaders, including Obi, a former governor of Anambra state in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.
This discontent stems from our feelings of neglect and exclusion, particularly with his outreach processes, undermining the SONMO’s desire for a transparent and accountable relationship. Our petition to Peter Obi is over the marginalisation of the entire Southern Nigeria Muslims, comprising the South-east, South-south, and South-west, in his interactions with other religious leaders in the Northern part of the country.
Despite our numerical strength, dedication and efforts in nation-building and the development of Nigeria, we feel overlooked and unrecognised by the Peter Obi campaigns and outreaches to other Muslims in Nigeria. We feel marginalised and alienated. The Southern Nigeria Muslims want for Nigerians a leader who listens to all, irrespective of religious belief, understands and acts inclusively. We want a leader who knows what it means to accommodate, who has felt the weight of responsibility, and who believes that leadership is all about service at all times not only during electioneering and not for self- enrichment.
We desire a president whose life is built on empathy and action, a leader who has been there through thick and thin, for all Nigerians, men and women, irrespective of tribal, or religious inclinations and who refuses to be an accidental president. Because of our political marginalisation, we need a leader who is humble but strong, unbiased, compassionate, tolerant, and not discriminatory, and who will judge people not with the strength of their belief, but with the contents of their character, capacity and competence. He should not play politics in the place of governance, but to rewrite history and give all Nigerians a sense of belonging and the leadership they truly deserve.
In democracy, the majority will have their way while the minority will have their say. But once a leader emerges you unite everybody, that is what makes the father and mother of the nation. We, therefore, condemn the marginalisation of the Southern Nigeria Muslims under the auspices of the South-south Muslim Organisation (SONMO) and urge Peter Obi to be transparent and accountable to the people as he is open for public scrutiny in his actions.
The Obidients campaigns had performed very poorly in previous engagements in the Nigeria Muslim Community. Our efforts to reach and speak with Peter Obi have all proved abortive and all those approached ignored the request for our interactions on the best way to correct this anomaly for a better process and outcome. The inability of Peter Obi to win the Southern Nigeria Muslim grassroots with ease raises further question on the strength and capacity of his nationalist profile to excel as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are not satisfied with the attitude of the Obi campaign in undermining the South-east, South-south, and South-west Muslims for whatever reasons.
Meanwhile, one of the major challenges facing the 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate in his national campaign is the poor relationship particularly with the Southern Muslims which deserves urgent redress to reverse the ugly trend and unimpressive results. This is because, charity, they say, begins at home. To address these concerns and bring the Southern Nigeria Muslims together, we are calling for an inclusive approach from Peter Obi if he truly considers himself as a detribalised, a nationalist and non-bigot Nigerian aspiring for national leadership. We seek greater transparency, accommodation and meaningful engagement of the Southern Nigeria Muslims in the processes. We have our proposed steps and strategies for contributions and impact towards the 2027 general elections in shaa Allah. The Southern Nigeria Muslims have always wished for a president who cares about our children’s future, understands the struggles of our existence, and who will invest in the overall national infrastructure, who will make security a priority, not a campaign slogan and who will create jobs in addition to corporate representations and political appointments for us. As the LP’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi is reportedly working to improve his image in the predominantly Muslim North ahead of the next general elections, we advise him to extend his attendance at Ramadhan Iftar gatherings and other social events to the South-east, South-south, and South-west Muslims along with his monetary donations and financial inclusion in his efforts to win over religious leaders in Nigeria and beyond. He should avoid making further mistakes of failure to court Southern Nigeria Muslim leaders as a major factor towards 2027.
The time is now!
The SONMO remains and umbrella body which advances and oversees the overall political interests of the Southern Muslims in the Nigeria project. Our immense contributions to Nigeria’s political landscape, nation-building and developments are immeasurable and legacy of generations. We reaffirm our commitment to promoting good governance, economic development and security in line with the Nigerian Muslims Ummah Political Agenda. This will add value for our way forward to a greater Nigeria. A new Nigeria is indeed possible.
May Allah (SWT) preserve our lives to witness the next general elections and many more to produce a reliable president who will not betray the trust of the Nigerian people, but keep to a promise made for service delivery and dividends of democracy and good governance to all without discrimination. We look forward to seeing answers and responses to our concerns as soon as possible in shaa Allah.