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Between Gumi and Nigerian Politicians By At the 2nd annual Ramadan lecture jointly organised by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Kaduna and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) Kaduna, I had the opportunity of studying Dr. Ahmad Gumi more closely. And that is not to say I have never met him before. In fact, I had even interviewed him once at the residence of his late father, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi. I have also had several other opportunities of listening to him, either directly or via mass media channels, conducting public lectures, Qur’anic commentary (tafsir) and so on.
My aim in this piece is not to pass judgement on what the Islamic scholar (even though respected writers like Adamu Adamu will rather call him a mere Ramadan preacher!) said concerning Buhari’s ongoing case before the Presidential Election Tribunal. No! What I intend to do here is to try to explain to Dr. Ahmad the workings of the mind of the average Nigerian politician. This I believe will give Gumi the opportunity to re-examine his stance about the nation’s politics.
Speaking at the said lecture titled “Leadership challenges: The Muslim perspective”, Dr Ahmad jokingly said, for the fact that he was born on the day Nigeria had its independence (October 1, 1960), he considers himself independent. The independence he said, included freedom of speech and his decision to start by recognising the presence of the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad ahead of the Kaduna State governor in order of protocol. Nobody seemed to care, for the gathering was a religious one, and since the Sultan is seen as the spiritual leader of the Muslim ummah, he couldn’t be faulted.
Gumi used the lecture as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. i.e. called for Muslim unity – which he said was paramount – on one hand, and expatiate his position on the petition instituted by General Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, even though he avoided mentioning the name of either of them. This perhaps might not be unconnected with the criticisms his interview with Weekly Trust (September15 2007) on the same issue drew.
In any case, Dr. Gumi appears not to bother with those criticisms, negative as they are. For if he does, he would have let the matter to die down, even if slowly. Indeed, if you happen to be among the regular listeners of the tafsir session being conducted by the scholar, you will realise that hardly a verse passes without him hammering on the need for Muslims to support this administration (Yar’Adua’s that is) as a basis for unity of the Muslim ummah and peaceful coexistence among citizens. He is passionate on everything he believes in, and this may be one of his weaknesses as a human being.
According to Dr Gumi, there is the need to support the present government which has, in an attempt to build structures needed for free and fair election, set up an electoral reform panel. The problems associated with the last flawed elections, he said, were due to absence of structures that will make rigging impossible. And since the government has agreed to put these structures, it is a religious duty to support him.
Gumi seems to trust the Nigerian politician, and this is perhaps where the scholar gets it wrong on the Nigerian politician – Yar’Adua inclusive. Temporarily set aside Yar’Adua’s claim to being a servant leader, Nigerian politicians are in politics purely for business and not for service. And if the price is right, everything is possible. They are experts in the art of double speaking, perhaps to a professorial level.
Agreed, the system we are operating may not be a perfect (by the way, can any human endeavour be perfect?) one, but it has never been our major problem. Our problem has always been the politician himself, spurred on by the docility of the people to protect their votes. It is the politician that needs to be reformed, urgently and in totality too. (I hope members of the Justice Lawal Uwais panel are listening).
Carefully study this scenario: the country has a supposedly Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in place, we have the Electoral Act, law courts, the Police and other security agents. All these were on ground when the 2007 elections took place, but the politicians occupying positions of power will never allow them do their job. Because if they do, that would mean the beginning of their (politicians’) journey to irrelevance.
In any case, of what relevance will these structures be when politicians have only their interest, and not that of the people, at heart? Politicians know that if they can hire the best thugs, kill those considered as obstructions to success, and rig elections successfully, that will be it. This is so because your opponent is very much ready to jettison those that voted for him (with some losing their lives in the process) and abandon the struggle once he is offered some juicy positions or two. The politician aware of this anomaly will forever resort to killing, rigging and all forms of malpractices to get the power. The settlement can be done after he is sworn in.
Then consider a situation where all the above mentioned agencies are allowed to their job, and politicians pursue their rights to the latter, and in the process, some two or three governors have their victories reversed. The politician will be forced to have a rethink about engaging in these vices, spending money only for him to be recalled, and his ‘investments’ gone. Who will want to part with his money in return for nothing? Not even an armed robber will want to do that I believe.
Gumi should therefore support all those who are currently at the tribunals demanding justice. He should also encourage the judiciary to do their work without fear or favour and remind them of the penalties that await them in the hereafter should legalise an outright illegality. This is all the country needs to return to sanity as far as organising credible elections are concerned. You can have the best structures in the world, but as long as the Nigerian politician remains what he is, yesterday can only be better than today, and today better that tomorrow. Abubakar is a journalist based in Abuja. naslawal@yahoo.com
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