BY MAROOF ASUDEMADE

The attempt by the Oyo State PDP Support Group to fault the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, Alhaji Daud Makanjuola Akinola, over his reported endorsement of Senator Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli for the 2027 Oyo State governorship election is not only disingenuous but also exposes the group’s selective interpretation of religious neutrality and political endorsement.

It is particularly amusing that a group which appears comfortable with religious leaders lending their political influence to candidates of its preferred party suddenly discovers the sanctity of religious neutrality when such influence is deployed in support of an opposition candidate.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Aare Musulumi did not acquire his religious title in 2027, neither did his responsibility as a Muslim leader begin with Senator Sarafadeen Alli’s governorship ambition. The same revered religious leader was very much present in Oyo State’s political space in 2019 and 2023 when he lent his weight of support to Governor Seyi Makinde as the PDP governorship candidate. At no time did the PDP Support Group consider such political involvement an affront to the sensibilities of Muslims or an unacceptable departure from his religious responsibilities.

Why, then, has the same political disposition suddenly become objectionable simply because his support is now directed towards a candidate outside the PDP? If the Aare Musulumi was considered sufficiently competent to exercise his political judgment in favour of Seyi Makinde in 2019 and 2023, he certainly retains that same right to exercise his judgment in 2026 in favour of Senator Sarafadeen Alli. Religious leadership does not strip an individual of his constitutional right to hold political opinions, make political choices or support candidates he considers suitable for public office.

Let’s remind the PDP Support Group that the Aare Musulumi faced scathing criticisms from some Islamic groups over his support for Seyi Makinde in 2023, especially, on the strength that Aare Musulumi left a Muslim candidate to support Makinde, a Christian candidate. But as a man of honour and integrity that Aare Musulumi is, he stuck to his support for Makinde with the agreement that it is going to be the turn of a Muslim governorship candidate in 2027. Now, Alhaji Daud Akinola, the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, has thrown his weight behind a Muslim candidate and has taken a path of honour in favour of the Ummah.

More importantly, the PDP Support Group conveniently ignores the political understanding that preceded the 2023 governorship election. There was an understanding involving the PDP leadership and Governor Makinde that, having secured a second term as a Christian governor, the 2027 governorship opportunity would be conceded to a Muslim candidate. The rationale was simple: Governor Makinde, having completed his constitutionally permissible two terms by 2027, would have provided an opportunity for religious balance in the state’s political leadership.

It is against this background that the position of the Aare Musulumi and his support for a Muslim candidate in the person of Senator Sarafadeen Alli should be understood. His endorsement is not necessarily an attempt to impose a candidate on the Muslim Ummah; rather, it represents his political judgment on who he believes is best positioned to benefit from the understanding and secure the governorship for the Muslim community.

And since the PDP Support Group is so concerned about the Aare Musulumi’s inability to endorse every Muslim aspirant, perhaps it should be reminded that political endorsements are not communal entitlements. An individual cannot endorse everybody in a competitive political contest. The fact that Barrister Hazeem Gbolarumi is a Muslim, a member of Ansarudeen Society or a distinguished politician does not automatically confer on him an entitlement to the endorsement of the Aare Musulumi.

The Aare Musulumi is entitled to assess the Muslim candidates, examine their political experience, acceptability, capacity, electoral prospects and commitment to the interests of Oyo State before making his choice. Senator Sarafadeen Alli, a serving senator and former Secretary to the Oyo State Government, has a demonstrable record of public service and political experience. His political journey, institutional exposure and understanding of governance are valid considerations in determining his suitability for the governorship.

If the PDP Support Group believes that Barrister Gbolarumi is a better candidate, it is perfectly entitled to canvass support for him. What it cannot legitimately demand, however, is that the Aare Musulumi must abandon his personal political judgment simply because another Muslim is interested in the same office.

There is, however, another dimension to this debate that the PDP Support Group would rather not discuss. It is the Rainbow Coalition and the political realignment involving the APC and the PDP faction led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to which Barrister Hazeem Gbolarumi belongs. The Wike-led political bloc has been associated with the broader political realignment that supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, notwithstanding the fact that Tinubu belongs to the APC. This is a political arrangement that the PDP Support Group has apparently found no compelling reason to condemn. Indeed, if the group has no difficulty with Nyesom Wike, its political leader, supporting President Tinubu, an APC president, why should it suddenly develop an allergy to political support across party lines when the Aare Musulumi endorses Senator Sarafadeen Alli, an APC aspirant?

Is political support across party lines acceptable when it advances the interests of Wike and his political associates but becomes an offence against religious neutrality when it favours Sarafadeen Alli? This is the height of political double standards. The PDP Support Group cannot celebrate political alliances that benefit its preferred political camp and simultaneously condemn similar political choices by others. Political pragmatism cannot be the exclusive preserve of one faction, just as freedom of political association cannot be denied to those whose choices differ from theirs.

Furthermore, the group’s attempt to portray the Aare Musulumi’s endorsement as an affront to the Muslim Ummah is misplaced. The Muslim community in Oyo State is politically diverse, intellectually conscious and sufficiently mature to distinguish between the personal political preference of a religious leader and a binding decision of the entire Muslim population. Nobody has suggested that every Muslim must vote for Senator Alli simply because the Aare Musulumi has endorsed him. Equally, nobody should suggest that the Aare Musulumi must remain politically silent because some Muslims support other aspirants.

What the Aare Musulumi deserves now is commendation for fighting the cause of the Ummah and protecting its interest. He has lived up to his position as the most prominent Islamic leader in Yorubaland, Edo and Delta.

The 2027 governorship election is a political contest and not a religious coronation. While the aspiration for a Muslim governor is legitimate within the context of the political understanding preceding the 2023 election, the ultimate decision will be determined by the democratic process and the electorate. The PDP Support Group should therefore stop weaponising religious neutrality to shield its political interests. It should also resist the temptation to rewrite recent political history to suit its present narrative.

The same Aare Musulumi who supported Seyi Makinde in 2019 and 2023 has every right to support Sarafadeen Alli in 2027. The same political freedom enjoyed by Wike and his associates to support President Tinubu must also be available to the Aare Musulumi. Religious neutrality must not become a convenient political weapon, while political freedom must not be selective. If the PDP Support Group could accommodate the Aare Musulumi’s political choice when it favoured Makinde, it should have the political maturity to respect his choice when it favours Sarafadeen Alli.

Oyo State needs a credible, experienced and competent governor in 2027. The debate should be about the capacity of candidates to govern, not an attempt to intimidate religious leaders into silence whenever their political preferences do not align with the PDP. The Aare Musulumi owes the Muslim Ummah religious leadership, not political obedience to the PDP.