The Qadi of the Shari’ah Court of Appeal, Kwara State, Justice Abdurraheem Sayi, has stated that Southwest governors lack the authority to prevent the establishment and operation of Shari’ah arbitration panels in the region.
Speaking at the 30th Pre-Ramadan Lecture of the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni, themed “The Transformative Power of Ramadan,” Justice Sayi asserted that the objections to Shari’ah arbitration panels in the Southwest are legally baseless and stem from Islamophobia.
He npted that arbitration is a contractual matter that does not require approval from any government authority or traditional ruler.
“Nobody needs the approval of the Federal Government or any state authority to operate an arbitration panel. Even the President has no power to approve or disapprove of arbitration panels,” he said.
Justice Sayi also criticized opposition from traditional rulers, stating, “Muslim arbitration panels always hold their sittings inside mosques. What business do pastors or monarchs have in this matter? Somebody should tell the monarchs to know their boundaries.”
The event, held at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium in UNILAG, was attended by Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, Ogun Deputy Governor Noimot Salako, and other dignitaries.