On Monday, October 17, 2022, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, along with his running mate, Datti-Baba Ahmed, visited the controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi, in Kaduna State.
Obi and Gumi had a private meeting to discuss his plans for Nigeria. The candidate later shared photos of the visit on Twitter, setting off a wave of mixed reactions among his supporters and critics.
Baba-Ahmed, Obi and Gumi [Image Source: Twitter]
To understand the reason for the online commotion, we first need to understand why Sheikh Gumi is such a controversial figure.
Who is Sheikh Gumi?
Ahmad Abubakar Gumi is an Islamic cleric, scholar and former military officer born on the same day Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960.
He studied at the Ahmadu Bello University before enlisting in the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). He served in the Nigerian Army Medical Corp (NAMC) as a medical officer before he retired as a captain and moved to Saudi Arabia to advance his Islamic education.
Gumi is the son of Sheikh Abubakar Gumi. A former leader of the Izalatul Bidi’a wa Ikamatul Sunnah (Izala), a radical Muslim sect that has been linked with inciting religious riots in Nigeria’s northern region.
Why is Gumi so controversial?
In February 2010, the Saudi Arabian government arrested Gumi and detained him for more than six months over alleged ties with Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian known as the Underwear Bomber who tried to blow up a commercial plane in the United States. Gumi regained his freedom after the Nigerian government intervened on his behalf.
Farouk Abdulmutallab [Image source: Guardian UK]
Gumi is a huge supporter of Nigeria’s controversial Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who, in 2021, was exposed for championing extremist Islamic ideas
Isa Pantami [Image source: Digital Africa]
What Gumi is perhaps most infamous for is being an advocate for bandits terrorising the northern region. He notably negotiated the release of the Greenfield University students abducted in Kaduna in 2021, after the bandits demanded a ₦100 million ransom. He also went on a media campaign to pressure the Federal Government to establish a Ministry of Nomadic Affairs to address the bandits’ grievances.
Gume also didn’t win any fans for describing kidnapping as a “lesser evil” during his campaign to whitewash the terrorists. He said: “Kidnapping children from school is a lesser evil because in the end, you can negotiate and now bandits are very careful about human lives. Before, the mission of bandits was to go into a town, ransack it and kill people.”
So why did Obi pay Gumi a visit?
Although Obi’s tweet about the visit gave no indication as to its exact purpose, Gumi himself has said they met to discuss the candidate’s plans for the country. He added that he received Obi the same way he receives other high-profile politicians who visit him. The candidate’s aide, Oseloka Obaze, tweeted that Gumi advised him not to let the movement he has started to end after the elections.
How have Obi’s supporters reacted?
The reactions to the meeting have been varied among Obi’s supporters. A supporter on Twitter said: “PO abeg Sheikh Gumi is a known ethnic bigot. No be everywhere we go stop by.”
In response to the tweet, another supporter said: “This is what we call ‘Building bridges’. Gumi is also a Nigerian. No court has convicted him. Let’s build bridges. Even APC dominated areas and difficult to reach areas will be reached. This is the Unifier. The bridge builder.”
What does everyone else think?
Critics have accused Obi’s supporters of hypocrisy for supporting his Gumi visit. They say that Obi’s supporters called Gumi unprintable names in the past but are now aligning themselves with him because he’s popular in the northern region where Obi is yet to establish a strong presence. Other critics say Obi brought himself low with the visit.
One thing is clear though, no matter how saintly any one candidate is perceived to be, they’re ultimately in the race to win. How they do it, and if the end justifies the means, is a question only time can answer.
