21st October, 2023
Warns Gumi to stop divisive comments on Christian/Muslim and South/North dichotomy
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Rivers lawmaker, Tonye Adoki Smart has warned controversial Muslim cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi to stop making hateful inflammatory comments against Nyesom Woke, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory in particular and Christians in Nigeria at large.
The member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Port Harcourt 2 Constituency gave the warning in a statement on Saturday.
Smart warned Sheikh Gumi to refrain from making provocative and disparaging remarks against Wike and displaying animosity towards Southerners.
He also warned the Muslim Cleric that the era of hobnobbing with bandits and criminals for kidnappings and ransoms is over, saying “Sheilk Gumi or whatever you are called, you will jam what you never expected if you go beyond this.”
“Those era of planning with bandits and criminals to kidnap and share ransoms with them is over. Nyesom Wike is the Minister of FCT, deal with it.
“Some people like Gumi really believe that this country belongs to them alone from their actions and inflammable utterances. No wonder they saw it as their right for a Northerner to take over from another Northerner.“
He said Gumi should be reminded that as a man whose state produces nothing for the country, he should not sit at his comfort zone to ask for the sack Wike just because the FCT Minister received the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office.
The lawmaker also pointed out such divisive comments were long expected from the likes Gumi.
“Though we have been expecting this frustrating statement long ago. These bandits sympathizers can no longer hide their frustrations since Wike was appointed as FCT Minister. That is why Gumi could not endure and have voiced out.
Adoki further reminded Gumi that the FCT was built and being maintained with proceeds of oil from Niger Delta region for which Rivers State is hub.
He noted that despite this, the people of Niger Delta have not complained that for past 46 years no Southerner or people from the region has been appointed as the FCT Minister.
Our correspondent reports that Gumi had recently attacked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Wike, saying it’s dangerous to entrust Nigeria’s national security to the hands of Christians and southerners.
The controversial cleric stated this in a video of a sermon of over 14 minutes posted on his official Facebook page.
Gumi in the sermon asserted that President Tinubu would be stopped from another term of office if he does not remove Wike as FCT minister.
The cleric had claimed that Muslims appointed into top security positions are only figureheads and not in charge of military command and control.