SHEIKH GUNMI AND GENERAL BUHARI, THE BITTER TRUTH

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat (Mr.rights)

Last week, I expressed my view about the candidature of president Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammed Buhari and my position was simple, both men do not have what it takes to lead Nigeria come 2015. Let the two divisive candidates step aside for other better unifying candidates for the good of this nation I submitted.

Few days after I made this position, A Kaduna based islamic scholar, Sheikh Gunmi also advised president Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammed Buhari not to contest the presidential election in 2015. He advised both People Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) not to field both men, urging both parties to consider other acceptable candidates for the good of Nigeria.

Having been criticised for this sound advice, especially by the supporters of General Muhammed Buhari, Sheikh Gunmi went further to write an open letter to the retired general, explaining why he should never contest the 2015 election.

However, since his open letter was published on his facebook account, Buhari’s supporters have taken to the social media and other place to continue to castigate the popular Islamic scholar, calling him all sort of unprintable names for telling Buhari the bitter truth.

To understand the whole message, let me make summary of Sheihk Gunmi’s message to General Muhammed Buhari.

The truthful Islamic Scholars advised general Buhari not to contest the 2015 presidential election, just as i have equally done repeatedly in the last few weeks even before the Sheikh gave his advice.

He advised Buhari to avoid being used to ignite the nation-a dream well orchestrated several years ago. Here, he was referring to how Buhari was used to disrupt the second republic,where they topple a democratically elected government in the name of fighting corruption,noting that, those who used Buhari to topple the democratic government also toppled him few years later. This is a fact.

The respected Islamic Sheikh put it this way, ‘’ A believer is not stung from the same hole twice. Men used your innocence before to get power and dump you. Please be sensible today. Some other men still want to use you to get power and surely they will dump you again. You don't share the same philosophy at all. Even though as I explained later, your obsession and philosophy of fighting corruption is not the priority of Nigeria today. What Nigeria needs utmost now is peace and stability. This can only be achieved when the religious ethnic and regional divide is tamed. And you can only tame it with people without much precedence. People without much following. Yet people that are constructive and have the ability to control men’’.

The Sheikh also stated that, although Buhari as a person is innocent and credible, but he lacks the power to control his allies and supporters. This according to him may cause greater violence and insecurity bigger than that of Boko Haram in 2015 if Buhari is not eventually declared winner.

He advised Buhari to beware of his allies who are nudging him to go into the race for their selfish interest, noting that, even if Buhari personally mean well for the nation, those allies of his doesn’t, and he his too weak to control them.

Talking about Corruption which Buhari and his allies are using to push his candidature forward as an anti-corruption agent, Gunmi said, Corruption is no doubt an evil, but there is a more monstrous evil than corruption. That is turmoil and insecurity. He noted that, although Nigeria need to fight corruption, but what Nigeria need most at this time of ethnic and religious divide is not an anti-corruption fellow, but an acceptable unifying personality who can unite the people irrespective of their tribe or religion. Peace and stability are the most important part of governance that no price is too high for them. Gunmi said.

Gunmi then suggested that, Buhari should give way to younger people,citing the late revered Sarduana, who at 60years resolve not to contest any election,but instead prepare and push younger people forward. Example of such a fine stand his how Sarduana pushed Tafawa Balewa forward to contest for Nigeria’s head in 1960. Instead of doing it himself as the leader, Sarduana went back,giving a younger and more acceptable person a chance. He advised Buhari to imitate such a trait, stepping back and giving a more younger person his support. He listed Rotimi Amaechi, Musa Kwankwaso,Rochas Okorocha, Aminu Tambuwal among others that may be supported to lead the nation come 2015. He also listed Godswill Akpabio,Shekarau, Mauzu and others.

In Sheikh Gunmi’s word,’’ If Sardauna today is alive in your situation he will never contest for the presidential seat because of his deep understanding of what the nation needs. He will step down for a more acceptable younger person. It's on record that Sardauna even at the age of under 60 said he was not going to contest again preparing his only house in Rabah for retirement. 

Gunmi added that, ‘’I'll give you a similitude to buttress my point of priority. A person seriously injured and fractured from a road traffic accident when brought to the emergency room, the first priority of the doctors is to secure an intravenous line. Meaning get a drip set working into his veins to protect his vital organs like the heart and kidneys from the effects of shock and loss of blood. The fractures even though serious and the source of the blood loss may take days and weeks before they are even attended to beside the superficial dressings.’’ 

‘’Nigeria now needs peace and stability first. Then we talk of good governance later even though it's the source of the predicament we are facing’’.

Ádvicing further, Gunmi said, ‘’The present government has already charged the situation and played the religious divide to it's advantage. It's in circulation now, a SW pastor calling on Christians and the church to vote Jonathan as their only Savior. This religious card will be used to cover for his deficiency in governance. 

Your Excellency, you should understand too, that many if not most of your supporters are also looking up to you to protect them from the onslaught on their religion and region. This also the Christian will never believe the otherwise. Therefore the stage is set for religious confrontation which is the least the nation needs.

What we need as a priority is peace and stability. Gunmi said.

In summary, Sheikh Gunmi proposed that, let the older people step back for the younger people to lead. Let the perceived ethnic/religious personalities which is today represented by Buhari and Goodluck reverse for more nationally acceptable candidates to avoid dividing the nation along ethnic/religious line as well as avert a situation where Christians shall be voting for Christians and Muslims for Muslims as it is being canvassed at present.

On this note, let me state here that, the abuse, insult and condemnation of Sheikh Gunmi is highly condemnable and regrettable. It is not justified by any standard and can never be justified from whatever perspective we looked at it. I therefore urge all those involve to desist from this self destructive venture if they truly fear God. However, If you consider any part of Gunmi’s letter to general Buhari as a misrepresentation of facts, you can simply write to argue that part constructively by presenting your view or counter argument, but it is out of place to curse or insult the respected islamic scholar. This is not acceptable,as it only goes to prove the respected sheikh right when he described some Buhari’s supporters as riffraffs.

I have also read some messages on social media which described Sheikh Gunmi as evil and someone being used by the enemy. This is because of this worthy letter, but I am sure those people calling Gunmi names would applaud him if the letter was written to Buhari’s political opponent. Some even accused him of jelousy and hating on Buhari, but such senseless condemnation is very unfortunate as it defy every reason and sensible thought. Why will Gunmi hate or be jelous of Buhari? If so, Why hasn’t he writen such a letter before if he has anything personally against Buhari? There was no any rift between the two and in the 3 previous occasion that Buhari contested, Gunmi never raised any objection.

So, why will he now if not for truth and the good of the nation?

As at the time I first saw negative remarks about Gunmi, I haven’t read the open letter, so I couldn’t really undrstand how to effectively contribute to the discuss. So, I heard to search for the letter to read what made young Muslims and others dessend on an islamic scholar to an extent of calling him evil or someone being used by the enemy.

However, after reading the message of truth as contained in Gunmi’s letter, I feel disappointed in the condemnation the innocent Sheikh had received as a result of his sincere truth to General Buhari.

Even if Sheikh Gunmi was wrong to warn Buhari to beware of his  allies who are nudging him into the race, every word Gunmi wrote in his letter is justified with the response he has received from the Buhari follower ship. Gunmi was right after all. If not, how on earth will any sane person describe Sheikh Gunmi as an evil man because he spoke the truth to safegaurd the peace of this nation? How will any reasonable person accuse Gunmi of being used by the enemy as a result of such a fine letter that should be sincerely digested and commended by all well meaning people? I am so disappointed in all those who had negatively condemned Sheikh Gunmi, making it seems as if he had done something wrong by warning of an imminent danger,when all he does is to speak truth for the good and peace of this nation.

How can people be so misguided that you are blind to the truth spoken by this sheikh despite knowing all he said is true?

What exactly has the skeihk lied about? Is it false that Buhari can’t control his cult like followership which is basically in the north? Is it false that many Christians in the south perceived Buhari as someone representing an islamic interest? Some misquoted comments of Buhari had been used many times to justify such opinion. Is it false that Pastors are asking Christians to vote for Goodluck on the basis of his faith? Is Nigeria not being divided by these two persons along religious line? Let us be guided.

Additionally, Many of the youths on social media condemning Gunmi were not yet born when Buhari led this country and those that were little then were told that they are leaders of tomorrow. This is the tomorrow, yet Buhari who led before many were born is still the figure seeking to leader after 70years of age. Is it wrong for Gunmi to advice the retired general to observe best practice as observed by previous leaders who led by example like Sardauna?.

Yes, Mandela ruled in South Africa when he was above 70, but he lived more as a colonized and freedom fighter before then. He didn’t rule at 40, then come back after 70 to rule again. Liberia was in war for many years, Johnson Salef didn’t rule Liberia at 40, then came back after 70 to rule again. So is Abraham Lincoln and other leaders who rule at 70 or more. Their rule was symbolic, rather than a quest for rulership at all cost. They were not rejected 3 times and insisted to rule afterward. They didn’t promise to stop contesting and later renege on their promise. Let us be guided by reason and face reality rather than be blinded by our unreasonable loyalty and misguidance of saying only one man ‘s rule can make Nigeria better. There are countless people better than Buhari in this country that can lead Nigeria to tranquility.

Let me conclude by quoting Skeikh Gunmi’s conclussion in his letter to General Buhari, My Brother in Islam, please listen to the words of wisdom. And don't follow the whims of the riff raff. Before they used you the first time to disrupt the second republic, my father advised you against it. Today I am also advising you against contesting in the 2015 presidential elections because you will be used to ignite the nation -a dream well orchestrated several years ago- and also be used by bad people as a ladder to grab regional and local powers.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat (MR.Rights)