Ahmad Gumi
Speaking while reacting to rumours in Kaduna state that he was
critical of the government of the APC because of his sympathy for the
opposition PDP, a Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, has said he
has no sympathy for any political party in Nigeria.
Gumi recently came under criticism by loyalists of President
Buhari and APC in the state for speaking against the anti-corruption
fight in the country. He had accused Buhari as prone to mistakes and
falling to render good governance, asking the president to resign.
In his regular Ramadan Tafsir on June 9, the cleric said he would
not stop pointing fingers at President Buhari’s mistakes, saying his
government was a “total failure.”
According to PREMIUM Times,
the influential cleric said he stands by his call on President
Muhammadu Buhari to resign due to alleged failure of his government.
He stated further at the closing of Ramadan Lecture for 2018 at
Shaikh Sanusi Khalil Mosque at Rigachikun, Kaduna on Thursday that his
criticisms are based on his quest for justice in Nigeria.
It was gathered that rumours arose from a picture of him with two
PDP leaders and strident criticism of the administration of President
Buhari
Reacting on the picture of him sitting between former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna State governor, Ramalan Yero,
the cleric said the shot was taken at a public event long ago.
“There was a picture that was snapped at a mosque in
Rigachikun. When I was invited to attend a wedding fatiha, on arrival I
met him (Mr Yero) and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at the
mosque.
L-R
Former Vice President and chieftain of APC, Atiku Abubakar and Dr Ahmad
Abubakar Gumi. [Photo credit: Fresh News in Nigeria & Breaking
News]
“Then he (Atiku) was still in APC as a member and contested
against President Buhari at the primaries, while Yero was then in PDP as
a governor in the state.
“I was asked to sit in their middle so I did. Now the picture
is in circulation that I am a PDP member, that PDP paid me to work for
them.”
Gumi said he does not look at any Muslim as a PDP or APC
member. “Rather, I see him as a Muslim brother. If he does justice I’m
with him whoever he is.”
He said Nigerians should not discriminate among themselves on the basis of politics. “Anything that we know will bring misunderstanding among us as Muslims we must try to do away with it,” he said.
He recalled also criticising the government of former President
Goodluck Jonathan and asking the president to resign or be impeached.
“Nigeria’s newspaper carried a headline in 2012, when I said
Jonathan has failed Nigerians and should resign. So I also find it a
duty upon me to tell this government the truth, that it is full of
mistakes, or else I become a hypocrite.
“Why I blamed Jonathan was because of blood in his hands
because Boko Haram were putting bombs everywhere and the government was
not doing enough.
“Anybody killed under your regime, you are responsible for that
blood. If you have done your best, I can say yes, Allah can forgive
you. But if you are relaxed, no; Allah will not forgive you. So it is
the same thing now.
“The bloodshed now is more than during Jonathan’s regime. So
now you judge yourselves to be fair. Our religion is a religion of
fairness.
“Now more blood is shed from negligence, from sleeping, from laziness, from I-dont-care,” he said.
“If I am true to myself, as I called for the resignation of
Jonathan, I should call for the resignation of President Buhari, and
with immediate effect! And government paper should carry it also, if
there is truth.”
The cleric insisted Buhari’s style of leadership is full of errors. “Buhari
is full of mistakes. Full of mistakes! He is a human being like
anybody. And I swear to God that there are many people here in the
North that can perform better than him.”