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From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Muslim Youth Foundation of Southern Kaduna (MYFOSKA) on Monday tackled some of the Southern Kaduna Renewed Hope Movement (SKRHM), Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC), Southern Kaduna Youth and Students Forum (SKYSFOM) over alleged zonal marginalisation in political affairs both at the state and federal levels.
According to the group, Muslims in Southern Kaduna are rather the ones being marginalised despite pulling political support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2015, unlike other groups who, “in the realm of any competitive electoral contest always deploy religion and ethnicity as the exclusive tool for mobilisation”.
National Secretary, MYFOSKA, Shuaib Abdallah in a statement said the aforementioned groups do not represent or speak for them thereby dissociating itself from them.
According to Abdallah, the block votes of the Muslim ummah have consistently contributed to the overwhelming electoral victory of the APC at least in the last 2015, 2019, and 2023 general elections respectively thereby calling on the Federal and Kaduna State governments to ensure fair representation in governance and appointments among the heterogeneous population of Southern Kaduna.
“While we uphold the principle of equity, fairness, and justice as taught by Islam and as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, the APC as a party of conscience that rewards its supporters, should as well, uphold its rewards system by rewarding the Muslim communities from Southern Kaduna, who from appointment made so far shows glaring marginalization and exclusion.
“At the Federal level, the Christians of Southern Kaduna, who neither voted for nor supported the party in any way have been generously rewarded with the appointment of Chief of Defense Staff by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. While we are happy and wish him a successful discharge of his responsibilities, any further federal appointment should go to the Muslim ummah of Southern Kaduna in the interest of equity, fairness, and justice.
“At the State level, they have equally, neither voted for, nor supported the party, but have also been generously rewarded with the appointment into the State Executive, with Special Assistants and Head of Agencies.
Out of the 17 appointees of Governor Una Sani, only three are Muslims while 14 are Christians. It is apparent from the Federal and State appointments so far, that the Muslim Ummah of Southern Kaduna have been grossly marginalized.
“Therefore, the claims by SKRHM, SOKAPU, SKLC, and SKYSFOM among others, do neither speak nor represent the interest and aspirations of the Muslim Ummah of Southern Kaduna and we hereby distance ourselves from them,” the statement read in part.
