The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has countered the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of Nigeria’s Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on his calls for the establishment of Independent Shariah Arbitration Panels in the South-West region of the country.
The PFN which made its position known in a statement by its Vice President Cosmos Ilechukwu, at the 18th Biennial Conference of the PFN in Abuja on Saturday, said that the Christian body unanimously rejects the planned implementation of the Islamic Penal Code, also known as Sharia Court, in the South Western part of Nigeria as it would only lead to chaos.
The Sultan had in a statement two weeks ago, given his support and backing for the establishment of Sharia Courts in the region amid widespread criticism and rejection of the move by prominent Yoruba groups and individuals.
In the statement issued by the Deputy National Legal Adviser of NSCIA, Haroun Eze, the Sultan had lamented what he described as the unwarranted resistance and objections from political and traditional quarters to the Muslim community’s efforts to establish the Shariah Arbitration Panels in South-West states particularly in Ekiti and Oyo States.
“The Independent Arbitration Panel, which is a voluntary platform designed solely for the resolution of civil and marital disputes among consenting Muslims, was to fill the inexplicable vacuum created by the failure of the political elite in the South West to establish Sharia courts, as allowed by the Nigerian Constitution, in South West, despite the huge population of Muslims in the region,” the Sultan had said.
But in countering the Sultan, the PFN warned that creating Shariah panels in the states could create chaos, ‘especially in a society where there are other religions, as he noted that Nigeria is a secular state and it remains that way.’
“Our position is that Nigeria is officially a secular state. That does not endorse any specific religion. Our advice to the government is to stick to that,” the PFN said.
“It is fair to our country if, for any reason whatsoever, the government begins to tilt towards recognizing or promoting a particular religious system over the other. So the best for Nigeria, because of our morality, ethnicity, is to remain a secular state in which individuals are allowed to be who they are.
“If we try to force everybody to become one world, it’s going to create problems for us. And it’s the position of the PFN that Nigeria remains a secular state.”