A meeting proposed by President Goodluck Jonathan with a cross section of Muslim leaders in the South West today (Sunday) at Ansarudeen Central Mosque, Ajao, Surulere, Lagos has hit a brick wall.
An insider source said the meeting was midwifed by the former Minister of State, Defence, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro, who is now facing public opprobrium over his role in the alleged rigging of the last governorship election in Ekiti State.
The source said except a miracle happened the meeting would no longer take place.
According to the source, a phone conference meeting at the instance of the Secretary General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, saw the Muslim leaders rejecting an invitation of “a meeting that can polarize and create disunity among Muslims across geographical divide”.
The source said, “Muslim leaders argue that since Muslim leaders in the North, especially the Emirs thought it was inexpedient for a meeting of all Muslim leaders with the President which culminated in the scuttling of an earlier meeting proposed with the entire Muslim leaders in the country, it would be a betrayal for Muslims in the South-West to now separately meet Jonathan.
“It was further discussed that the N7 billion he gave the Christians to motivate them to mobilize support for him has left the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in tatters and may take a long time before the wound inflicted on the umbrella organization for all Nigerian Christians be healed. Since the man is going about shamelessly distributing money that belongs to the masses, would it not be immoral to take the filthy money which Muslims condemned when a section of Christendom accepted it. And if they reject it, would it not be an insult on the office of Mr. President?
“The Muslim leaders also wondered how they can trust Jonathan who when Muslims complained of marginalization in the composition of the Confab. He promised to redress it. But he went back on his words when the CAN President, Ayo Oritsajafor, said he dared not.
“The leaders wondered why a President who has always ignored the plea of Muslims for fairness and justice in appointments to top political appointments and never sent invitation to meet them is now enthusiastic to meet Muslims few weeks to the election.
“Imam Abdurahman Ahmad, the versatile Chief Missioner of Ansarudeen was given the assignment of conveying to Jonathan that we are not prepared to meet him,” the source added...culled from Sunday Trust.

Greedy Christmas