An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has vouched for a Bauchi senator, Shehu Umar Buba.
The group said the allegation made against him should be ignored because it is politically motivated.
MURIC spoke on Wednesday, 9th October, 2024 through its Founder and Executive Director, Ishaq Akintola.
He said: “The governor of Bauchi State, Bala Muhammed, recently wrote a petition to the presidency accusing the senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Umar Buba, of sponsoring banditry.
“This allegation is false, malicious, baseless and without any credibility whatsoever. Egged on by a totalitarian propensity and a luciferous passion, the petitioner went all out to pin the most hated trending crime in the country on a hardworking political rival and member of an opposition party in his state. This accusation is ludicrous, odious, odorous and insidious.
“We are persuaded to interrogate the motive behind the petition. Governor Bala is in his second term in office. Nigerian governors are in the habit of wanting to remain politically relevant after serving their two terms by becoming senators. Our findings have proved that the governor is from the same senatorial district as Senator Buba. He may therefore consider Senator Buba as someone standing between him and his senatorial ambition if he nurses one.
“MURIC has known Senator Shehu Buba since 2013 (eleven years ago). He comes across as a young politician with the passion of the founding fathers of Nigeria. He is an embodiment of honesty, credibility and integrity. He loves his country with incredible passion and he has made immense sacrifices for this in the past. When it comes to proficiency, Senator Shehu Umar Buba is primus inter pareil.
“The sense of commitment with which he takes risks for his country is amazing. So is his flair for encouraging non-governmental organisations to engage in actions capable of inspiring hardwork, patriotism, transparency and accountability among young Nigerians. Such a man cannot empathise with talk less of sponsoring bandits. It is simply laughable. This allegation exists only in the figment of the imagination of the petitioner.
“MURIC appeals to the Presidency and the Senate to ignore this allegation. In particular, we urge members of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence to see the false allegation as deliberately crafted to erode their confidence in Senator Shehu Buba. That is why it was designed to don the distinguished senator in the garb of a security threat.
“We call on Nigerians to dismiss the allegation against the distinguished senator. Those who have interacted with him personally have found him to be well educated, highly polished, morally upright, very competent and highly intelligent.
“Bala Muhammed was born on Sunday, 5th October 1958. In comparison, Shehu Buba was born on Saturday, 2nd October, 1976. We have before us a 66 years old governor trying to destroy the political career of a 48 years old senator. This is a good example of how old politicians have been destroying the young ones. This is profiling. It is witch-hunting. What happened to ‘Not Too Young To Rule’?
“Before we pull the curtains, we assert clearly, unequivocally and emphatically, that this allegation is another manifestation of the Satanic pull-him-down-syndrome (PhD). It is as simple as giving a dog a bad name in order to kill it. This kind of evil must not be allowed in a God-fearing society. We cannot afford to sacrifice excellence on the altar of mediocrity. Shehu Buba needs the presidency’s protection.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).