An x-ray into Gumi’s letter to Buhari

His hard-hitting comments on the poor performance record of this administration, has won him many fans, including those from the Buhari camp. He has become their hero for his forthrightness to speak truth to power. Unlike his late father, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, the young Ahmad Gumi has more fiery rhetoric than his more guarded […]

His hard-hitting comments on the poor performance record of this administration, has won him many fans, including those from the Buhari camp. He has become their hero for his forthrightness to speak truth to power. Unlike his late father, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, the young Ahmad Gumi has more fiery rhetoric than his more guarded and conservative father.
However, whatever admiration Ahmad Gumi once enjoyed amongst Buhari fans, such encomiums have now seemed to have evaporated. Gumi’s latest open letter to General Buhari, advising the APC presidential aspirant to forget his 2015 presidential ambition for the sake of the country’s peace and stability, and that Buhari should stand aside for younger politicians. What is in Gumi’s letter to warrant the personal attacks on the Islamic Cleric? In fact, some critics even alleged that Gumi was “under the influence of drugs” when he wrote the open letter to Buhari.
One of the problems with Nigerians is our inability to handle the truth, especially when it doesn’t favour us; we only welcome the truth when it is against our opponents. If Gumi’s letter was against Jonathan or former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Buhari’s fans would have been okay with it, provided it is against other politicians.
Does one need to please people before one speaks the truth? Why are people allergic to the truth? Why has Gumi, a previous hero, suddenly become villain, a “hired stooge” because he critically examined the potential dangers of political parties fielding divisive figures for the 2015 presidential election? Should we throw away the baby with the bath water, and thereby, lose the message of Dr Ahmad Gumi’s open letter to General Buhari?
To any objective and calm analyst, Gumi’s letter contains issues, which reflect the realities of our politics. And these are realities we simply cannot afford to ignore or dismiss out of hand.
If men of integrity are too afraid to confront reality and reflect over it, who can ordinary Nigerians point to as their role models? Part of Gumi’s letter reads: “What we need as a priority is peace and stability… General, you have antagonists, and they are many, and also as ardent as your supporters. Your supporters have the biggest proportion of the under-privileged of the society, which is the petrol that can be easily ignited by the slightest spark. The spark will be when you are declared the loser. Your Excellency, good intentions are never enough. Corruption is no doubt an evil, but there is a more monstrous evil than corruption. That is turmoil and insecurity.”
In all honesty, can anyone dispute this reality in the context of our realities today and Buhari’s perception baggage, which has haunted him since 2003, and which has still refused to go, and probably seems unlikely to vanish? He declared in 2013 that the military operation against the Boko Haram terrorists “is an injustice against the North.” It never occurred to Buhari that the greatest injustice against the North is the Boko Haram terrorism, which has virtually destroyed the Northern economy and disrupted its social life.
Thanks to that careless comment, millions of Nigerians, except perhaps Buhari’s blind loyalists, perceived the former military Head of State in the negative. Worse still, it compounded Buhari’s perception burden. He antagonized and alienated millions of Nigerians because of these thoughtless utterances.
Their mindset of Buhari’s supporters is that “it is either Buhari or we threaten peace.” The post election violence of 2011 was a good example of this mentality. In fact, his supporters even believe that it is a sin for any Northerner to run against Buhari. That is the extent of their political extremism, a mindset so stubborn, that his supporters want automatic ticket endorsement of his ambition and are bent on attacking the character of any other person that seems unwilling to step down for Buhari.
The unpalatable fact is that Buhari’s supporters are not ready for any election outcome in which he will lose, no matter the realities of the factors that may work against him. It is obvious the bloodshed of 2011 post-election violence was not lost on Dr Ahmad Gumi. Innocent northerners were killed for nothing. His supporters are ready to die for him as long as the outcome of the election is not in his favour. They are not ready to accept the fact that other factors outside rigging can affect Buhari’s chances in politics, despite his good intentions and integrity.
Currently, Nigeria is dangerously polarized along ethnic and religious lines. Can the North afford to present a presidential candidate whose votes are repeatedly concentrated in the North, or parts of the North?
Does one need to read Gumi’s letter to appreciate the inherent danger with Buhari’s candidature? Is he APC’s safest bet in the light of the controversies and perception crisis repeatedly haunting his presidential ambition? Sheikh Ahmad Gumi knew what he was talking about, and well understands the dangers of Buhari’s insistence to run. Any insinuation of Gumi being “paid” is diversionary ploy.. Dr Gumi didn’t spare President Jonathan either. He was convinced that both he and Buhari are divisive figures. It takes courage to speak the truth. Rather than denigrating Dr Gumi, we should extol his courage.
We should not shoot the messenger because we don’t like the message.
Zanna is a good governance advocate and a commentator on politics.