Prof Nuh Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Details of PBNU Muktamar
The Secretary of the Steering Committee (SC) for the 35th Muktamar of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Professor Mohammad Nuh, has revealed the behind-the-scenes stories of the PBNU Muktamar. He also disclosed a change in the election mechanism for the General Chairman of PBNU, moving from the previous ‘one man, one vote’ system to the Ahlul Halli wal Aqdi (AHWA) system.
“From an organisational perspective, NU is experiencing dynamics, particularly in 2025,” said M. Nuh, as quoted from Dahlan Iskan’s YouTube channel on Tuesday (1/9/2026).
He stated that in 2025, PBNU faced differing views within the organisation. To resolve these differences, PBNU decided to hold the Muktamar as a solution to reunify diverse perspectives.
In its implementation, M. Nuh emphasised that the interests of the Muktamar must take precedence over the interests of individual candidates. He asserted that the committee must remain firm and avoid being swayed by partisan interests.
“The steering committee must be very firm. We must not be pulled in different directions by favouring Candidate A or Candidate B. We must uphold our principles,” he said.
He also reminded that the highest leadership in NU is the Syuriah (Rais Aam), while the Tanfidziyah (General Chairman) serves as the executive body. Consequently, a change in the election mechanism was agreed upon.
“The challenges we face are becoming increasingly complex, necessitating a shift from personal leadership to collective leadership. The era of leadership relying on individuals is over because challenges are becoming more diverse. It is no longer sufficient to address them alone. Therefore, we are shifting towards a collective model. Because of this paradigm shift, the method or mechanism of election has also shifted,”
“The previous model was competitive, a one-on-one contest, which almost certainly leads to tension. Competition inherently involves elimination, winners, and losers. When someone wins, it is ‘the winner takes all.’ This could result in the best people from Group A not being accommodated by Group B if Group A loses. That is why we shifted the election method,” he added.
He explained that the method, which was originally competitive (one man, one vote), was changed to a consultative mechanism through the Ahlul Halli wal Aqdi (AHWA) system, composed of highly competent senior clerics (kiai).
“For the General Chairman, which was previously ‘one man, one vote’ where every branch elected one person, and then re-elected by the Muktamirin, and so on, after receiving approval from the Rais Aam, we changed it. Changing this was not easy at all. This is the background that I rarely share with the public,”
“I have long contemplated this chapter. I visited several senior clerics to discuss it. I asked, why is every Muktamar always tense? Because of its competitive nature. Competition is inherently heated. What if we changed it? Instead of each branch proposing one person, they could propose several. I also presented the academic reasons for this,” he continued.
Subsequently, the clerics agreed to the change and formulated the mechanism. He revealed that two options emerged: maintaining the original concept or adopting the new change.
“And it was proven through long debates. Other matters had relatively simple debates, but this issue was lengthy, with various arguments presented. Since everyone had presented their arguments, the best way was to proceed to a vote. From that vote, Alhamdulillah, 73% desired the change, while 27% wanted to remain as before. This meant we could decide on the new model. In essence, it was a consensus (musyawarah),”
Following this, nine individuals from each branch with the highest votes were selected as members of the AHWA to determine the Rais Aam and the General Chairman of PBNU.
“The process involved every branch, PW, and PCI proposing nine names. From those, the nine with the most votes were appointed as the elders—the clerics we entrusted to choose. These individuals possess competence, capacity, and spiritual insight (basyirah), not just logic but the ‘eye of the heart’ to choose, including the Rais Aam,” he said.
“So, whereas previously we only elected the Rais Aam, now we elect both the Rais Aam and the General Chairman,” he added.
As is known, Miftachul Akhyar and Gus Kikin were elected as the Rais Aam and General Chairman of PBNU for the 2026-2031 period during the 35th NU Muktamar in Jombang, East Java. The decision was reached through the consensus of the nine members of the Ahlul Halli Wal Aqdi (AHWA).