October 18, (THEWILL) – Kaduna-based renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has revealed his discussions with Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) when they met on Monday.
THEWILL had reported that the former Governor of Anambra State visited Gumi at his residence in Kaduna on Monday, before proceeding to the venue of the event organised for presidential candidates by the Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum and other northern groups.
He is the first presidential candidate to meet Gumi ahead of the 2023 election.
Obi had posted photos of the meeting on Twitter with the caption, “Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed and I stopped by for a courtesy call on Sheikh Gumi at his official residence in Kaduna.”
Speaking with Dailytrust, the renowned cleric said when Peter Obi visited him, he asked him a few essential questions on his presidential bid, even though they were meeting for the first time in their lives.
According to him, “He (Obi) came on a courtesy call even though I was meeting him for the first time face-to-face, and so I appreciated his visit.
“I asked him very essential questions, but I told him he didn’t have to give me straight answers right away since I knew he was on his way to Arewa House, where he would explain it better to the larger society to understand.
“I asked him about his stand on restructuring because Nigeria has been going through a restructuring from 1960 to date and how he could empower an unskilled nation.
“I also asked him how he could pacify agitations from the South East, North Central, South West, and North East. Again, I told him there are foreign interests in this country that are part of the polarisation of our politics. So how is he going to tackle it?
“He also agreed with me that truly there is foreign interest in this country, and then I wished him well.”
Gumi then advised all the presidential candidates to make their campaigns issue-based, while cautioning them against utterances that could further polarise the country.
But while speaking at the Arewa House on Monday, Obi declared Northern Nigeria as the seat of Nigeria’s wealth.
In his remarks, titled: “The Unmet Needs of the North”, the Labour Party presidential candidate told the Arewa Joint Committee Interactive Session at the Arewa House Auditorium, Kaduna, that the region is strategic to the development plans of Obi-Datti administration if elected President in 2023.
Obi, who declared his commitment to lead the nation from the front, if elected president, assured the region a pride of place in his rescue agenda.
“We shall pay as much attention to the development of the North as to the development of all other parts of the country, but with much greater emphasis on the development of the Agricultural resources.
“The North remains where the biggest and sustainable wealth of this great Nation lies”, he said.
The LP Candidate said that they intend to aggressively pursue policies, programmes and projects to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of all the sectors of the Nigerian economy.
He noted that Nigeria as of today is showing clear signs of a failed state with the north bearing the brunt of the numerous challenges in ungoverned spaces, poverty and out-of-school children, promising to address the challenges with the urgency they deserve.
Obi particularly gave a heartwarming assurance to the region, telling them that all farmers displaced from their farms, will return to their farms in the next farming season if he is elected.
About the Author
