We no longer have homogenous north, there is no one North again.

The one north is no more. How was Abiola accepted in the North against Tofa? Let me tell you, Abiola came to this house (Gumi’s House) and he said it was from this house he was told to contest for the presidency. But I have never seen Tofa in this house. What I am trying to tell you is that there is population in the north, but it is of different people, tribes, persuasions.

There is no one thing that unite the north. We have good people who are nice; honestly, Abiola did not have tribal sentiment. He was not tribalistic. We just want competent people. So the most important thing is that you must not be tribalistic, or a religious bigot. No compulsion of faith. You cannot force your religion on another person. You can only convince somebody to follow you, not to force him.
-Sheik Gumi
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/herdsmen-shiites-crises-may-end-nigeria-sheikh-gumi/