The Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, yesterday at a Ramadan lecture sponsored by the Oyo State government, acknowledged the legitimacy of Shari’ah and gave his nod to the use of Shari’ah panels by Muslims in Oyo State.

Reacting to this development, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has expressed satisfaction with the governor’s new position. However, the human rights group said it hoped the statement had no political undertone specifically aimed at 2027.

MURIC’s reaction came via a statement released on Friday, 28th March, 2025 by the Executive Director of the organization, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The full statement reads:

“The Governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, yesterday at a public function acknowledged the legitimacy of Shari’ah and gave his nod to the use of Shari’ah panels by Muslims in Oyo State (https://insideoyo.com/shariah-law-makinde-clears-air-says-we-will-support-anything-in-line-with-constitution/).

“The governor spoke at the annual Iftar (Ramadan evening breakfast) programme organized by the Oyo State Government for Muslims in the state which was held on on Wednesday, 26th March, 2025 at the frontage of the Presidential Lodge, Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.

“MURIC welcomes this development. It is a significant milestone in the Shari’ah debate and an important landmark in the dialogue between Yoruba Muslims and the rest of the population in Yorubaland, particularly the Christians and the traditionalists.

“This new position stands in contradistinction to the widely circulated threat to challenge Shari’ah in court allegedly made by Governor Seyi Makinde (https://punchng.com/makinde-plans-suit-as-oyo-sharia-panel-begins-sitting/). It is noteworthy that the governor used the occasion to deny planning to go to court.

“Every Nigerian can now see that Shari’ah is constitutional. No court in the land can dismiss it and no reasonable person can challenge it in court no matter how highly placed. We are vindicated.

“Those who have been misinformed should learn to accept this fact. Truth is colourless. Truth uses no makeup. It needs no embellishment. It is constant. The Bible says, ‘You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free’ (John 8:32).

“We only hope that Makinde’s volte-face at the Iftar on Wednesday has no political undertone specifically aimed at his 2027 presidential ambition. Anyway, we will cross that bridge when we get there.

“Meanwhile it is important to clarify a remark made by Governor Makinde in his speech which is already being misunderstood. His words, ‘So, on this particular Sharia Panel, whoever wants to patronise it and feels it is an alternative dispute mechanism, it is okay’ has been misinterpreted in some quarters to mean that even Christians are free to approach the Shari’ah panel.

“We do not want to believe this was the governor’s intention. Part of the basic rules of Shari’ah is that Christians should not be involved in the operation of Shari’ah whether as plaintiffs or defendants. We therefore advise Christians and traditionalists to continue using their common and customary law. We are not interested in attracting adherents of other religions into Islam through Shari’ah.

“MURIC feels sanctified that the governor now recognizes the Shari’ah panel as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism (ADR) capable of decongesting the heavy logjam of cases before the conventional courts.

“In his own words, the governor had said, ‘The interpretation on my own side is that, even in our families, it is not every issue we take to court. When people have disagreements, the elders in the family try to settle the dispute … It will help the government and ensure that the cases going to our judges are reduced… We will encourage alternative dispute resolution mechanism…’

“We urge Governor Seyi Makinde to go the whole hog. Now that he has admitted that Shariah is constitutional, he has a duty to protect the constitution which he swore to defend, including this constitutional Shari’ah, an integral part of our grund norm.

“The losers are the noise makers, the hysterical hooligans who threatened to use violence against Muslim leaders and their families and called us bastards and other unprintable names on account of the Shari’ah saga. What have you gained now? Makinde is here to deal with you. Seyi is now the undisputed defender of our Constitutional Shari’ah. All hail the governor!”

#GovernorSeyiMakinde
#ConstitutionalShariah

Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).