The Supreme Council of Islamic Scholars of Nigeria, Osun State branch, has accused the Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Political Affairs, Alhaji Muniru Adebayo Raji, of distorting facts on the leadership crisis rocking the Osun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
The council was reacting to Raji’s comments on a state-owned radio station on Monday, where he defended the continued stay of Alhaji Moruf Isola as Chairman of the board.
It would be recalled that the scholars had, in an October 10 statement, called on Governor Adeleke to dissolve the board and appoint a new chairman from a zone that has never produced one, arguing that Isola has spent eight consecutive years in office and could spend 12 years if his tenure is extended beyond 2026, a precedent they said has never happened in the South-West.
According to the group, Osogbo zone has cumulatively spent over 15 years in the office, Ijesa zone almost 11 years and Iwo zone almost seven years, while Ife, Ede, Ikire, Ikirun and Ila-Orangun zones have never produced a chairman.
Raji, while commenting on the issue, said Isola was not issued an appointment letter nor did he collect salary under former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, but only led pilgrims to Mecca. He added that the present administration properly appointed him as Amirul Hajj in fulfilment of a promise Adeleke made to the League of Imams and Alfas in 2022, and that the League requested the continuation of the arrangement in 2026.
But in a rejoinder signed by Mallam Isiaq Abdul Rahman and obtained on Tuesday, the council described Raji’s claim as a “clear lie.”
“It is a clear lie on the part of Alhaji Muniru Adebayo Raji to claim that Alhaji Moruf Isola was not given an appointment letter as Amirul Hajj during the former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola APC regime. Alhaji Moruf Isola was duly appointed as Amirul Hajj by the Oyetola government between 2018 to 2022. It was COVID-19 that did not allow him to go to Hajj for 2 years during that time and that was a global pandemic, as there was no Hajj for international pilgrims for those 2 years, and that did not stop Alhaji Moruf Isola from performing all other religious activities for the government,” the council stated.
The scholars warned Raji against dragging the Chief Imam of Osun State into the controversy, describing the alleged alliance between him and Isola as unholy.
They insisted the board is not a statutory board with fixed tenure and maintained that eight consecutive years in office for one person was enough.
The council urged Raji to advise government to set up an independent panel to investigate a petition written by Ustaz Abdul Wasiu Adeagbo to the Chief of Staff containing allegations against the chairman, and questioned why Raji would oppose appointment of scholars from other zones.
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