By Ochereome Nnanna
When I read the first letter by a certain Sheikh Gumi to All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential hopeful, General Muhammadu Buhari, I was a bit confused. But on closer inquiry, I discovered that this was Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, not Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, the late leader of the Izalatul Bidi’a wa Ikamatul Sunnah (Izala) Islamic sect whose utterances often set Kaduna and other parts of the North on fire up till the time he died on September 11, 1992.

I once interviewed the older Sheikh Gumi just before he died. He was widely credited with starting the gradual radicalisation of Muslims in the North; a trend that later bred the Shia (Muslim Brothers) group in Zaria led by Sheik Yahaya. It was from there thatmore extremist groups such as Boko Haram found foreign and local backers to start an armed struggle to impose their offensive dogmas on others. Ahmad is the son of Abubakar Gumi, and from the way he has lately been going, is chip of the old block.

Sheikh Gumi

In the first letter, Gumi had asked Buhari not to contest the 2015 presidential election because he might lose to President Goodluck Jonathan who, according to him, has “polarised the country” along sectional and religious lines. He also described Buhari as an “upright” but weak leader surrounded by people who merely want to use him to win elections at lower levels and dump him, just as some military officers had ridden on his back to topple the Shehu Shagari regime in 1993. Shortly after installing him they turned around to sweep him out of power.

I was not too surprised when he released the second letter, this time directed at President Jonathan, whom he reserved more invidious allegations for. He accused Jonathan of being “partial” against Islam, “biased” against the North and “neglecting” of “the youth”. He also said Jonathan had “divided the nation along religious lines” and, wait for this: was “being involved negatively with the Boko Haram saga”. And for these and other reasons, he called on the President to “step down”. According to him, the imperative of this was more for “personal responsibility” than “constitutional right”.

From the tone of the two letters, it is obvious that the real target was President Jonathan’s 2015 unannounced candidacy. Gumi merely wrote a slap-on-the-wrist to Buhari, while spitting venom at the President. How I wish the sheikh had spent a little more space to substantiate what he called Jonathan’s “partiality” against Islam. The President participates in Ramadan fasts and breaks fasts with Muslims, all the time wearing their toga. Which Muslim president has done the same with Christians? He built 300 al majiri schools in the North. Not even Muslim presidents have done that. I have never witnessed a regime that has been youth-friendly in Nigeria, including that of Buhari in 1984/85. Jonathan has been women-friendly. I don’t know if he has done anything for the youth.

Now, what does Sheikh Gumi mean by the President “being involved negatively with the Boko Haram saga”? Is President Jonathan also one of the Boko Haram sponsors? If that is what Sheikh Gumi means to say, he should have been more explicit about it so that we take due note and put it on his record. Even if that is what he means, it will not be something new. Ex-Governor Murtala Nyako said worse. The Northern Elders Forum, with Professor Ango Abdullahi as its spokesman, is always on the rooftops with it. Dr Junaidu Mohammed gives interviews every two weeks swiping at President Jonathan, Ijaws and in the latest instance, the Igbos, all because they are not in the bandwagon to stop Jonathan’s legitimate quest for second term.

Sheikh Gumi appears to have bought into the grand design to sow the seeds of fear and stoke tensions in the polity as we move closer to the general elections next year. That is highly irresponsible and unpatriotic. We are in a democracy; a constitutional order. Gumi is wrong to say it is not a question of constitutional right. It is. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, at all levels has come together to present President Jonathan as their sole candidate. They are not fools. They cut across all religions, tribes, regions and geopolitical zones. They want to remain in power. For some reasons, they believe with Jonathan as their flag bearer they will win and remain in power.

If truly the opposition and its supporters, including the sectional “Elders” and those who are firing from religious parapets, believe Jonathan is not good enough, they should be glad that the ruling party is putting him forward. They should rejoice, rather than mount an incitement campaign to force him not to contest at all. It is a waste of time, because Jonathan will contest. They should go and meet him at the polls with their best candidate. Let the people decide.

The law enforcement agencies should take note of these individuals who are whipping up religious and ethnic sentiments in case they lose the general elections of 2015. This was how it started in 2010, when in a similar manner, some desperate Northern politicians threatened to make governance impossible if Jonathan won. At the end, the Northern electorate did not listen to them. They voted their choice in one of the best elections we have had. And yet, thugs and urchins were mobilised to murder innocent youth corps members whose only sin was that they were deployed to serve the nation by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Till date, the killers have not been brought to book and the bereaved families were abandoned to bear their pain. Those killed were Southerners.

We must all be vigilant. There are people among us who are determined to destroy this country unless we abandon the presidential seat for them. We will not abandon it. That seat belongs to ALL NIGERIANS. Let us be ready. The enemies of Nigeria will lose again. Losing has already become a way of life for them!