Fayose’s Comment On Buhari’s Plan To Islamize Nigeria Misguided, Divisive – Ex-Minister

Buhari-FayoseThe immediate past Minister of National Planning and self-appointed spokesperson for the Goodluck Jonathan administration, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman, has faulted the comment credited to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to Islamize the country, describing it as an unguarded statement.
Fayose had while speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony organized by the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to celebrate Governor Nyesom Wike’s victory at the Supreme Court, alleged that the president’s visit to Saudi Arabia alongside five other governors, was a ploy by Buhari to transform Nigeria into an Islamic nation.
President Buhari was in Saudi Arabia to discuss the global oil price crash with the world’s number one oil producer and seized the opportunity to perform the lesser hajj.
Reacting to the comment, the former minister said it did not represent the opinion of the PDP or most of its members.
In a statement, Sulaiman said the visit to Saudi Arabia by the president was not enough to say that the president plans to Islamize Nigeria.
The statement read: “The above statement credited to Governor Ayo Fayose, that the trip by President Muhammad Buhari and five governors to Saudi Arabia is an attempt to transform Nigeria into an Islamic nation should be seen as a misguided utterance and not a true reflection of the perception of most members of our party”.
“Not only is it capable of heightening the centrifugal tendencies in our country, such statement could be counter-productive to the reform agenda been driven by some patriotic elements in our party. The visit by the president and some government functionaries is not enough to suggest an attempt to Islamise the nation. Any divisive statement from any leader of our party is condemnable and not in the best interest of Nigeria”, he added.

1 COMMENT

  1. Even though Dr. Sulaiman belongs to the same PDP party as Fayose, he makes a lot of sense in his submission. I think Fayose should be cautioned about his utterances. Has he left governing Ekiti State now for the spokesman of his party? His statement is so inciting that could cause a big problem for the nation. No one can islamize Nigeria.