By Zainab Jalo
The lone lady at the senate aspiring for governorship seat, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, a.k.a Binani has generated Floodgates of reactions most of which are purely political cocooned in religion.
She was the lone lady of the six governorship aspirants under, at the state level, the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, Adamawa state.
No one raised an eyebrow before the governorship primary elections. The insinuation that there was an anointed candidate, of the six aspirants was quashed in the collective nay and the call for consensus candidacy was considered by the candidates as politically reductive.
For the lone lady Binani, if consensus candidate could be so seductively decided, she should so be singled out for the favour, considering her unfavorable position in that respect, as a lone candidate by gender categorisation; anything short of that arrangement then the delegates should decide the elected as stipulated.
Coud the anti-Binani gender be hitherto conceiving that the lone lady would be insignificant in the interest of the delegates to have warranted propaganda mention and delegitimation?
The anti female leadership across the country would not lead a refutal to lady Binani’s legitimate candidacy when she contested and won the House of Representatives seat as much as they would not champion the propaganda campaign against her “feminism” when she contested for and won the senatorial seat the amazing amazon is currently sitting in and on.
The female groups interviewed would not conjure up what they considered unintelligible contradiction; there are so many felame chief executives in ministries and extraministerial departments including ministers yet the antagonists to the gender could not say nay. Why now having won the governorship primaries when they have the males gender as incumbent and other contestants?
While to clear the air, endorsing the legitimacy of the Binani move from Senator to Governor, below is what Sheikh Nuruddeen Lemu is quoted as articulating; Enjoy going through:
The answer/fatwa of some scholars as to women leading an “Islamic State”/Darul Islam has qualified the terms of reference for such a leader of an Islamic state – which includes leading armies, etc. These are not the same as that of a governor in Nigeria. A governor is not a head of state!
Adamawa is not a Darul Islam/”Islamic state” led by a Caliph/Sultan/Amir/Imam.
Adamawa as with other states, (under Nigeria) is a Darul ‘Ahd or Darul Sulh that is governed by the ‘ahd/sulhu document we call the constitution.
It is a big mistake to us the criteria for a Darul Islam and insist it should be used for Darul ‘Ahd.
It is a gross misrepresentation of Muslim scholarship on Ahkam al-Sultaniyya (Islamic political theory), to take the prescriptions and fatwas of Daru Islam in a particular context and impose it on Darul ‘Ahd. The head of Darul ‘Ahd is not called a Caliph, does not have to be a Muslim or a woman.
The terms of the civil contract or constitution determine the agreements on criteria for leadership. No everything in Darul ‘Ahd contract/treaty or constitution/Sahifah/dustur/etc. would be ideal, and it is a compromise documents for living peaceful together – as was the case in the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah.
It was not ideal, but it served the public interest and benefit (maslahah).
Muslims in Adamawa and others should remember the words of the Prophet (p) that have also been amplified by many scholars (including Ibn Taimiyyah), “Allah will support a community that govern with justice even if they are not Muslims; and Allah will not support a community that are unjust even if they are Muslims”.
And if Allah will support a just non-Muslim, how will He not support a Muslim woman of greater integrity and concern for justice.
The Prophet (p) makes it abundantly clear that Allah’s support comes with justice and not being Muslim but without justice. Let us therefore chose the leader that will bring greater social justice to our societies, even if they happen to be Muslim women or even non-Muslims.
The realisation of the objectives (maqasid) of Shari’ah – the support and protection of religion (Deen), of lives (Nafs), of human dignity (‘Ird), of education and the intellect (‘Aql) and of wealth and prosperity (Maal) through just means, matter more than the gender or religion of who can realise these objectives in a Darul ‘Ahd for the good of all citizens – Muslims and Christians and any other.
Which candidate is more likely to bring the greatest public benefit (maslahah) and justice (‘adl), in all its forms to society? That is the primary concern of Shariah. The gender, ethnic and religious affiliations are secondary to this concern for JUSTICE.
And Allah knows best
Nuruddeen Lemu