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| Sheik Ahmad Mahmud Gumi |
Revered
Kaduna Islamic scholar, Sheik Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has called on Nigerians to
avoid any form of violence in the forthcoming general elections particularly
the presidential election. Sheik Gumi said both President Goodluck Jonathan of
the PDP and former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC are not
worth dying for. He also called on well-meaning Nigerians and electorates not
to allow politics to suppress their conscience.
The
Nation reports Shiehk Gumi made the call in a press statement he personally
signed circulated to the press in Kaduna was in reaction to reports where he
claimed not to have been quoted correctly.
“For
the records, I am not a politician and I don’t have sympathy for any of the
political parties. My commitment for those that are fair and following what I
do is always to ensure that the rule of law prevails in the conduct of all
politicians and for the major stakeholders to avoid overheating our already
saturated polity.
“If
some of my comments, which some considered nasty and against their political
interest and pursuit, will ultimately alert our largely unenlightened youths
and subsequently prevent the looming bloodshed I foresaw, then the abuses and
allegations of compromise against my person will be my own sacrifice to this
nation.
“It
does not matter the malicious opinion of anybody against whosoever did anything
for the sake of Allah because He knows the secrets of our hearts and He is the
ultimate judge. I am always very conscious of everything I write and I will
always accept responsibility no matter who feels offended.
“As
an Islamic scholar the supporters of Jonathan or Buhari should not expect me to
embark on campaign or to compel people to vote a candidate they don’t want. My
responsibility is to guide and alert the nation based on what I know and my
conviction, while the people have the final say. In the process, like all
mortals, I can be wrong. What is important in Islam is to act strictly for the
sake of Allah.” He said.
Reacting
to the report where he claimed to have been misquoted, Gumi said, “I have not
said, as reported during the groups visit to me, that General Buhari is also
corrupt as purported and erroneously disseminated. In any case, it is not my
duty to determine whether anybody is corrupt or not or to even pass a damning
verdict on him.
“May
I state, however, that the content of my recent posting as clear as it is was
publicized by some media outfits to deliberately mislead the public about my
position, many viewed it as against Buhari or an indirect endorsement for
Jonathan.
“The
records too are very clear. There is no Nigerian leader I persistently
criticize and censor like Jonathan because of the deficiency in his leadership
to address many serious national issues today, in some part of the country .
“Criticizing
Buhari will inevitably be seen as an act of blasphemy in the eyes of his
supporters. They see anyone that speaks against what they believe in as a
Jonathan man. This pathetic situation has to be reversed because the moment
someone presents himself for leadership he is liable to criticism and
answerable to people before God.
“The
fact that there is religion in politics and politics in religion is the reason
why I believe it is a duty for me to be consistent in addressing issues of
public interest and to ensure that no human blood drops for the sake of anybody’s
ambition, including the ambition of Jonathan and Buhari.
“My
comments on avoiding violence during the election is not only limited to the
supporters of Buhari as mischievously being insinuated but extended to the
supporters of Jonathan as well.
“In
fact that is why before the two parties held their presidential conventions I
repeatedly urged the parties to do away with the candidatures of Jonathan and
Buhari because of the potential danger of doing so. But now that they didn’t
listen and produced the duo, it is obvious that only one of them will
eventually become president in 2015.
“At
this point I must say, therefore, that we must prepare our minds and accept the
outcome of the election as much as it is conducted under reasonable fairness.
This is better than the risk of losing one human life because of the ambition
of Jonathan or Buhari. If lives are worth sacrificing why is it that the
children of our politicians did not participate in the post- election violence
of 2011! At this note I will call on INEC and the Security agencies to conduct
themselves appropriately without partiality to diffuse post -election tension
and Violence.
“I
also call on the public to be patient no matter the level of provocation and
injustice because at the end of it all and due to our collective prayers Allah
(SWT) will provide the way out for Nigeria.
“I am compelled to give
this additional comment because I know that there are many reasonable people
that misunderstood my position because of the manner my comments are being reported.
May Allah protect us all and guide us aright. Amin” he prayed.
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