Muslim Lawyer at Osinbajo’s Law Firm Says VP Does Not Discriminate Against Islamic Employees

• The recent allegation of religious bigotry against Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has been dismissed
• A senior lawyer who works at a law firm owned by the vice president says the allegations are untrue
• A columnist had made the allegations against the vice president in a piece he wrote on his personal website

Lagos - Bashir Ramoni, a Muslim lawyer working at Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s law firm, SimmonsCooper Partners, has reacted to allegations of religious bias in the firm raised by a US-based columnist, Professor Farooq Kperogi.

Kperogi had alleged that the law firm regulates the employment of Muslims and that 99 percent of the employees are Christians.

Ramoni, who leads Tax and Revenue Practice at the firm, faulted Kperogi’s assertion, saying the firm had employed practising Muslims and does not discriminate against them.

Daily Nigerian newspaper quoted him as saying:

“All allegations that suggest that SimmonsCooper Partners discriminates against Muslims are false and mischievous.

“The firm has employed practising Muslims and does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion, ethnicity, gender, or any other ground.

Today, I am one of the partners in the firm and I started as a pupil counsel in 2008, and have risen through the ranks to the firm’s leadership.

“Also, one of the longest-serving staff members in the firm, Ismaila Aromire is a practising Muslim whom the firm is very grateful to for his long years of service.”

Analyst faults Kperogi's religious bigotry claim against VP Osinbajo

In a related development, Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim, a political and public affairs analyst, based in Zaria, has said Kperogi's claim is a propaganda strategy ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Writing in TheCable newspaper, Ringim said:

“Kperogi’s infamous diatribe is just a pacesetter in this game. And many would follow suit with the same methodology as adopted by Kperogi of blending accurate facts with mischaracterisations and sheer fallacies.”

2023: Hypocrites labelling Osinbajo a bigot should be ignored, says VP support group

Similarly, the Osinbajo Support Movement (OSM) has responded to a recently publicised report labelling the vice president a Christian religious bigot.

The OSM noted that the author of the report should be ignored, saying he is a religious hypocrite.

Liberty Badmus, the group national coordinator of OSM refuted all claims and denied the allegations, stressing that they are all political games taken too far.

2023: Thousands march through Lagos, Abuja streets, canvass for Osinbajo presidency

Meanwhile, thousands of Nigerians on Thursday, March 24 held street processions on the streets of the country's capital, Abuja, and the commercial city of Lagos asking Osinbajo to join the 2023 presidential race.

Osinbajo, a lawyer, professor, and Senior Advocate of Nigeria has been under immense pressure to join the presidential race in the last few months.

The vice president, has, however, remained mum, and has been carrying out his duties as the Nigerian number two citizen.

Source: Legit.ng