13th November, 2024
PRESS RELEASE:
IT IS HATE SPEECH: MURIC TELLS MAN WHO ATTACKED TINUBU FOR
ATTENDING ARAB-ISLAMIC SUMMIT
The allegation of violation of the Nigerian
constitution made by a former All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential
aspirant, Charles Udeogaranya, against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for attending
the Arab-Islamic Summit in Saudi Arabia has been described as hate speech,
infantile and islamophobic.
The reaction was circulated to the media on Wednesday,
13th November, 2024 by the Founder and Executive Director of the
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).
The statement reads:
“A former All Progressives Congress (APC)
presidential aspirant, Charles Udeogaranya, yesterday accused President Bola
Ahmed Tinubu of violating the Nigerian constitution for attending the
Arab-Islamic Summit in Saudi Arabia. He also described the president’s action
as impeachable (https://dailypost.ng/2024/11/12/tinubus-representation-at-arab-islamic-summit-offensive-impeachable-offense-apc-chieftain/).
“We
are shocked by Udeogaranya’s shortsightedness and his decision to hobnob with sentimentalities.
His allegation is motivated by anti-Muslim emotions and it can best be
described as hate speech, infantile and islamophobic.
“We see no offence committed here if the president
has attended a gathering under whatever aegis where solution to a raging war is
being sought. More than fifty heads of states attended the summit and many of
them came from non-Arab and non-Islamic countries. We thought all the noise
about Muslim-Christian controversies were over. It is better for Udeogaranya and
his sponsors to allow sleeping dogs to lie.
“His submissions were full of flaws. For instance,
he claimed that Nigeria is a secular state. We corrected this wrong impression
long ago but people like Udeogaranya love to buy books entitled ‘Common Errors
in National Discourse: Failures Come And Buy’.
“They love to prepare only for failure in examinations.
Nigeria is a multi-religious state. A secular state is one where religion is
not recognized but Nigeria recognizes several religions and allows them to
flourish.
“Also, he allegedly said ‘most Nigerians are
Christians and that Nigerians firmly support Israel in all international
matters’. Only a man who just dropped from Jupiter can make such a false, reckless,
baseless and unfounded statement.
“Can
he substantiate these? Can he cite at least two instances where and when
Nigeria supported Israel? Udeogaranya may be suffering from desertification of terminological
exactitude syndrome. He should check his facts again.
“Meanwhile nobody should take his allegations
seriously. His call for impeachment should equally be ignored because it is meaningless,
null, void and of no consequence. President Tinubu did not go for a tea party
in Saudi Arabia. He went to serve this country. It is not easy to embark on
trips.
“Records of the president’s speech at the summit
have emerged. Tinubu addressed the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict,
highlighting Nigeria’s call for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful
resolution.
“President Tinubu advocated for reviving the
two-state solution to achieve lasting peace in the region and expressed deep
concern over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza and warned that ‘empty
condemnations’ are not enough to end the conflict in Palestine, which, he said,
‘has persisted for far too long’ (https://punchng.com/tinubu-returns-to-abuja-after-arab-islamic-summit-in-saudi-arabia/).
“This contribution shows that our president has a
clear picture of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his representation of
Nigeria at the summit has not been in vain. Therefore, he deserves commendation
for his efforts, not criticism.”
#ArabIslamicSummit
#TinubuRightOnSummit
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Founder/Executive Director,
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC
