Vice President Kashim Shettima says the throne of the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III is an institution that must be jealously guarded and protected.

The Vice President stated this at the North-West Peace and Security Summit in Katsina State on Monday.

There have been rumours that the administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State allegedly plot to depose the Sultan and some traditional rulers in the state.

But Shettima, who spoke shortly after the Sultan at the Monday event, said the Sultan is not just a monarch in the North-West state but an institution that must be protected.

Specifically addressing the Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Idris Gobir, who was present at the event, the Vice President said, “In all developmental issues in this country, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, I want to use him as a point of reference to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here.

“And to the deputy governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you. Yes, the Sultan is the Sultan of Sokoto, but he is much more than that; he represents an idea, he is an institution, that all of us in this country need to jealousy guard, protect, promote, preserve and project for the growth of our nation.” (Channels TV)