By Uche Amunike
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Yekini Nabena has demanded that Nigerian security agencies should arrest Kaduna based Islamic cleric, Sheik Abubakar Gumi, over his recent public outrages against the leadership style of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Speaking, in a video sermon that lasted over 14 minutes and posted in his official Facebook page, where he described Wike as ‘Satan’ for receiving the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office, he also stated that President Bola Tinubu would be stopped from serving for eight years if he failed to sack the former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.
He also said in a statement released to newsmen that the people of Niger Delta were observing everything going on and mentioned that no harm must be done to the minister. He further stated that the Niger Delta people, and Southerners in general, will no longer fold their arms and watch people like Sheikh Gumi, spit on their faces, irrespective of religious or political beliefs, adding that no Nigerian was more Nigerian than anybody in the country.
He reiterated that some Nigerians in the north were ethnic and religious bigots, filled with a sense of entitlement, maintaining that the divisive post made by Gumi gave that impression that southerners were second class citizens, whereas everyone in the country was meant to have equal rights.
Hear him: ‘My intervention in the recent controversial statement is not about the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike alone, it is about the right of the Niger Delta people and the southerners in general. At this stage, we expect all the voices of reasoning to speak out because of the sense of entitlement of the likes of Sheik Gumi is becoming more satanic.’
He continued: ‘How can you justify the rationale behind some Northerners heading some positions that are naturally meant for the people of Niger Delta and the South? Up till date a Northerner is still the GMD of NNPCL.’
‘If religious and ethnic bigots like Gumi and others are saying a Southern Christian, especially from the oil rich Niger Delta, can not hold the positions of FCT Ministry and the Senate President, we demand explanations on what qualifies a Northern Muslim in the leadership of agencies like NIMASA, NNPCL, NPDC, NLNG, NPA, and so on.’
Throwing more light on reckless public comments that would bring about a more divided country, the Bayelsa-born Yekini Nabena made a call to the President Bola Tinubu-led Bullet government to immediately make a bold statement and reconfirm the right of any Nigerian to hold public office anywhere in the country.
His words: ‘I will call on the presidency to deliberately caution Sheik Gumi and his co-travellers against statements that are capable of causing disunity and encouraging a sense of entitlement.’
‘I will also call on the security agencies to take Gumi’s reckless but deliberate statement seriously. Sheik Gumi should be arrested, questioned and prosecuted.’
Yekini Nabena further warned that that the entire people of Niger Delta will hold Sheikh Gumi responsible if Nyesom Wike was to befall any harm throughout his days in office as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Recall that Wike is the first southerner to be appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999.
