NU Congress Concludes Peacefully, Says Gus Ipul: Honourable Defeat, Dignified Victory
The Chairman of the 35th Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Congress, Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), stated that the leadership election mechanism for the PBNU presented a more peaceful competition while maintaining the honour of all parties. He assessed that one of the significant achievements of the 35th NU Congress was the emergence of a leadership transition process that avoided long-lasting political friction.
“What is the proud result? The most important thing is that those who lost did so honourably, and those who won did so with dignity,” said Gus Ilam in a statement on Friday (22/09/2026).
He shared this during the dissolution ceremony of the 35th NU Congress committee held in front of the Bahrul Ulum Islamic Boarding School Multipurpose Building, Tambakberas, Jombang, on Thursday (10/09/2026) evening.
Held from 27–31 August 2026, the 35th NU Congress has appointed KH Miftachul Akhyar as the Rais Aam of PBNU and KH Abdul Hakim Mahfudz, also known as Gus Kikin, as the General Chair of PBNU for the upcoming five-year term.
Gus Ipul noted that the election system implemented in this Congress was able to suppress competitive tensions and return the leadership selection process to the spirit of deliberation and NU’s organisational traditions. He expressed hope that this pattern would not stop at the PBNU level but could serve as a reference for leadership transitions across all levels of NU.
“I believe this will continue to the regional level, the branch level, and so on, down to the sub-district and grassroots levels,” he said.
Furthermore, Gus Ipul stated that the 35th Congress proceeded in an orderly manner, with all agendas completed according to the established stages. “We are grateful that the entire implementation of the Congress went well and orderly, and the results met our expectations,” he added.
Following the conclusion of the Congress, the next stage involves the formation of the complete PBNU management structure. Gus Ipul stated that the formation of the management is entirely the authority of the elected Rais Aam and General Chair, alongside the formation team.
“It depends entirely on the elected Rais Aam and General Chair, assisted by the formators. Hopefully, the target is to have everything finalised by next month,” he explained.
He hoped that the new management would immediately undertake organisational consolidation to face NU’s future challenges. Key priorities include organisational restructuring, strengthening structures, consolidation, and continuous regeneration.
“NU must be able to respond to various challenges by undertaking organisational restructuring, strengthening structures, consolidation, and regeneration,” he elaborated.
On this occasion, Gus Ipul also emphasised the importance of strengthening the congregation (jemaah) and providing special attention to the younger generation of NU.
He added that the utilisation of technology is also vital for building more organised, structured, and transparent organisational governance capable of mobilising cadres to the grassroots level.
Gus Ipul expressed hope that the leadership of KH Miftachul Akhyar and Gus Kikin would make NU increasingly solid while strengthening the organisation’s contribution to the nation, humanity, and the development of civilisation.
For Gus Ipul, the 35th Congress left an important message regarding how NU manages differences and competition: to compete without disparaging one another, to win without arrogance, and to accept results while maintaining honour.