Former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has implored security agencies to arrest a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, over his diatribe against minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
He warned that no evil must befall the minister throughout his tenure, or else Sheik Gumi and his ilks would be held responsible by the Niger Delta people if anything goes wrong.
The Islamic cleric had in a 14-minute posted on his official Facebook page, labelled Wike as “Satan” for receiving the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria in his office, adding in the sermon that President Tinubu would be stopped from serving for eight years.
Reacting to the development in a statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja, the Bayelsa-born APC chieftain alleged the sense of entitlement by some northerners was not only dividing the country, but also making them to see southerners as inferior to them in a country where everyone supposed to have equal rights.
Nabena warned that the people of Niger Delta and southerners in general would no longer fold their arms and watch the likes of Sheik Gumi spit on their faces irrespective of political or religion beliefs, even as he noted that no Nigerian is more Nigerian than any other citizen of Nigeria.
He stated: “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 the sense of entitlement of the likes of Sheik Gumi is becoming more satanic.
“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 North Muslim in the leadership of agencies like NIMASA, NNPCL, NPDC, NLNG, NPA, and so on.”
While cautioning against “reckless public comments” that could lead to a more divided country, Nabena called on the presidency to urgently make a bold statement and reaffirm the right of any Nigerian to hold public office anywhere in Nigeria.
“I will call on the presidency to deliberately caution Sheik Gumi and his co-travellers against statement that is capable of causing disunity and encourage sense of entitlement.
“I will also call on the security agencies to take Gumi’s reckless but deliberate statement serious. Sheik Gumi should be arrested, questioned and prosecuted.
“Let it also be on record that we the Niger Delta sons and daughters will hold Sheik Gumi responsible if any evil befall Nyesom Wike throughout his days in office as FCT Minister,” Nabena warns.
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