Last week, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, the
Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, stirred the hornet’s nest with a suggestion that
both President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari should not run for
the presidency in order to avert a looming bloodshed that he foresees. Since
then, Buhari’s supporters have called Sheikh Gumi all manners of names and in
this interview with IBRAHEEM MUSA, the cleric explains why he took such
stance.
Recently, you wrote two letters to both PDP and APC, advising them against fielding President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as their respective presidential candidates. Why did you write those letters?
The reason for writing those letters is to try to avert a disaster that I foresee if they are allowed to contest. Why? Simply because what happened yesterday (2011 postelection violence) is most likely to happen in a bigger magnitude in 2015 when they contest, because all the parameters are there, in fact aggravated. So, for fear of loss of lives and in sympathy with those who lost their lives innocently, ethical issues demand that the two of them should forego their ambitions. If they don’t, then the responsibilities fall on their parties to do so because they are there to filter and see what is suitable for Nigerians. The question is the survival of the nation.
So, you foresee the post-election violence of 2011 happening again in 2015?
I see it in a bigger magnitude because the factors that can cause it are aggravated. A section of the country is so much depressed, suppressed and it feels cheated. So, that section will be disappointed if their candidate is not declared the winner in 2015. In essence you are saying that the north is backing Buhari and the APC while the south is for President Jonathan and PDP. If either candidate wins, the section of the country whose candidate loses will not agree. No side will agree.
Did the parties reply your letter?
None of the parties replied but I could see that there are grievances from all sides, from their supporters. Some of them seem not to be happy about it. Some said that I was expressing my personal opinion but this is more than a personal opinion. The nation needs a third voice, a voice that is neutral.
To be honest, people are afraid of the government. So, nobody can speak to the government directly. People are also afraid of Buhari’s supporters because most of them are not well educated, they are also irrational and sentimental; most of them are underprivileged, suppressed and half-baked youths in a mammoth crowd who see him as a saviour. In fact, they see Buhari as the only saviour. That’s the danger.
You also wrote another separate letter to Buhari, what did you tell him?
I told him that being a Muslim and as an Islamic cleric, we Muslims should admonish each other. Muslims should give candid advice to each other; wata wassaw bialhaqqi wata wasaw bialssabri (Quranic verse) this verse means Muslims should give mutual advice in truth and in patience. If my father were in Buhari’s shoes and he said he wanted to contest for the presidency, I would have given him the same advice that I gave to Buhari.
I will tell him not to contest; it’s not suitable for him because he was a religious leader. Even among Muslims, he was heading a sect. Buhari, even among northern Nigerians, is divisive politically. Not many people liked the way he ruled when he was the head of state. The same way, his supporters like him because of the way he ruled in the past. So, his supporters should not argue that the past is past and it should be forgotten because they are basing their love for him because of what he did in the past. Likewise, people hate him because of the past. The past is very important.
So, how can a leader who is divisive even in his constituency, rule the whole of Nigeria? We need somebody who will calm everybody’s nerves. Somebody who is neutral to everybody; be they Muslims or Christians, Northerners or Southerners. One thing that you should also understand is that what I advised Buhari to do, I also advised Jonathan to do the same. But you could see the reaction of Buhari’s followers which is abusive.
When you are discussing issues that affect human lives, they have nothing to do but to abuse you, accuse you of being sponsored or somebody will question your credibility. So, you can see the reaction of these kind of people over what I said. What of if you shock them and declare that their mentor did not win election? Who can control them? Nobody. So, this is what I am trying to avoid by trying to put my advice to the national domain so that we discuss the matter. As we discuss, people will remove sentiments and see reality.http://newtelegraphonline.com/blood-will-flow-if-jonathan-buhari-contest-in-2015-sheikh-gumi/
Recently, you wrote two letters to both PDP and APC, advising them against fielding President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as their respective presidential candidates. Why did you write those letters?
The reason for writing those letters is to try to avert a disaster that I foresee if they are allowed to contest. Why? Simply because what happened yesterday (2011 postelection violence) is most likely to happen in a bigger magnitude in 2015 when they contest, because all the parameters are there, in fact aggravated. So, for fear of loss of lives and in sympathy with those who lost their lives innocently, ethical issues demand that the two of them should forego their ambitions. If they don’t, then the responsibilities fall on their parties to do so because they are there to filter and see what is suitable for Nigerians. The question is the survival of the nation.
So, you foresee the post-election violence of 2011 happening again in 2015?
I see it in a bigger magnitude because the factors that can cause it are aggravated. A section of the country is so much depressed, suppressed and it feels cheated. So, that section will be disappointed if their candidate is not declared the winner in 2015. In essence you are saying that the north is backing Buhari and the APC while the south is for President Jonathan and PDP. If either candidate wins, the section of the country whose candidate loses will not agree. No side will agree.
Did the parties reply your letter?
None of the parties replied but I could see that there are grievances from all sides, from their supporters. Some of them seem not to be happy about it. Some said that I was expressing my personal opinion but this is more than a personal opinion. The nation needs a third voice, a voice that is neutral.
To be honest, people are afraid of the government. So, nobody can speak to the government directly. People are also afraid of Buhari’s supporters because most of them are not well educated, they are also irrational and sentimental; most of them are underprivileged, suppressed and half-baked youths in a mammoth crowd who see him as a saviour. In fact, they see Buhari as the only saviour. That’s the danger.
You also wrote another separate letter to Buhari, what did you tell him?
I told him that being a Muslim and as an Islamic cleric, we Muslims should admonish each other. Muslims should give candid advice to each other; wata wassaw bialhaqqi wata wasaw bialssabri (Quranic verse) this verse means Muslims should give mutual advice in truth and in patience. If my father were in Buhari’s shoes and he said he wanted to contest for the presidency, I would have given him the same advice that I gave to Buhari.
I will tell him not to contest; it’s not suitable for him because he was a religious leader. Even among Muslims, he was heading a sect. Buhari, even among northern Nigerians, is divisive politically. Not many people liked the way he ruled when he was the head of state. The same way, his supporters like him because of the way he ruled in the past. So, his supporters should not argue that the past is past and it should be forgotten because they are basing their love for him because of what he did in the past. Likewise, people hate him because of the past. The past is very important.
So, how can a leader who is divisive even in his constituency, rule the whole of Nigeria? We need somebody who will calm everybody’s nerves. Somebody who is neutral to everybody; be they Muslims or Christians, Northerners or Southerners. One thing that you should also understand is that what I advised Buhari to do, I also advised Jonathan to do the same. But you could see the reaction of Buhari’s followers which is abusive.
When you are discussing issues that affect human lives, they have nothing to do but to abuse you, accuse you of being sponsored or somebody will question your credibility. So, you can see the reaction of these kind of people over what I said. What of if you shock them and declare that their mentor did not win election? Who can control them? Nobody. So, this is what I am trying to avoid by trying to put my advice to the national domain so that we discuss the matter. As we discuss, people will remove sentiments and see reality.http://newtelegraphonline.com/blood-will-flow-if-jonathan-buhari-contest-in-2015-sheikh-gumi/
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