… says palace belongs to all
Ilorin Emirate Vanguard, which is an Ilorin based social political organization, has alleged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Bolaji Abdullahi of trying to blackmail the person of Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin.
The sociopolitical platform has alleged that the first class traditional ruler over the recent visit of Mallam Saliu Mustapha, the Turaki of Ilorin, to the palace.
The group has through a signed statement released by its Convener, Hon. Abdulfatah Salman revealed that it was wrong for the main opposition party to attempt to ridicule the emirate council over media reports that the palace endorsed Malam Mustapha.
The statement said: “We have always known that the opposition is jittery of their impending defeat at the poll, reason why the PDP candidate and his mushroom campaign organization are always throwing around accusations and unfounded allegations.
“If they are not alleging that traditional titles are being bought, they are busy blackmailing and badmouthing their opponents, thereby turning what is supposed to be an issue-based, and impact-based campaign into a hate-filled one which is capable of unnecessarily overheating the polity.
“By wrongfully assuming the role of spokesperson for the palace, it is unfortunate that Bolaji Abdullahi Campaign Organization (BACO) are the ones dragging the revered Emirate Council in the mud with their over-politicisation of what is a normal routine visit to the palace.
“While the media has reported what transpired at the palace, there are audiovisual evidences that captured verbatim the entire visit. It is therefore not in the place for them to seek to give their own meaning to the visit.”
The group has revealed that the palace should be considered an open place for anyone who desires royal blessings .
“It is customary for any ‘dahiri’ (true son of Ilorin) to pay homage to the Emir, which is what happened when the Turaki returned home from his trip abroad to a tumultous welcome which the opposition has yet to recover from. He went to the palace to receive the blessings of the exalted royal father ahead of the flag-off of his campaigns and we make bold to say that the emir endorsed Turaki for the job as reported in the media.
“Naturally, the Emir also prayed for Mallam Mustapha and extolled his virtues as an illustrious son of the community whose immense contribution to the social-economic advancement of the Ilorin Emirate is known to thousands of indigenes.
“This is not the first time the Emir would do this for any illustrious son and daughters of the Emirate who come before him for royal blessings, and it certainly won’t be the last. This is expected of any responsible royalty that seeks the growth and unity of their subjects and it has little or nothing to do with politics.
“If the PDP candidate feels that he is responsible and illustrious enough to receive similar blessings, the gates of the palace are free and open for all, and we are confident that he would not be denied similar privileges.
“We also noticed that Mallam Mustapha being a title holder in the Emirate is a constant headache for the PDP candidate and his team. But titles are a matter of pedigree; they are only given to those with verifiable and long standing contributions to the development of our community and the growth of the people.
“So no matter how much Mallam Abdullahi tries to criminalise it, the social relevance of title holders in the Emirate, like Saliu Mustapha, would continue to endure in our community,” the statement added
The group has implored Mallam Mustapha to move on with his campaigns and be focused on issues of great importance and development to the people and should not get carried away by the antics of opposition party and its candidate.
