*THE GUS IPUL, GUS MUHAIMIN, AND GUS YAHYA FACTOR IN THE PROJECTION OF THE 35TH NU CONGRESS, AUGUST 2026*
By: H. Adlan Daie
Political analyst, Secretary General of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for Indramayu Regency.
Gus Ipul, Gus Muhaimin, and Gus Yahya, like it or not, are “the real factors” in the projected dynamics of the 35th NU Congress, August 2026, the key points in a triangle of “tug-of-war” of political factional interests.
That’s the “sexy” and exciting aspect of the 35th NU Congress, not just for NU officials and political observers; even NU members from all walks of life thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics of the NU Congress stage.
In that context, Professor Burhanudin Muhtadi, a political science professor at UIN Jakarta, defined NU this way:
“NU is drama. It wouldn’t be the NU we know if the NU Congress stage didn’t present drama, unexpected surprises,” he wrote. NU is a compelling drama stage to enjoy.
Gus Ipul, Gus Muhaimin, and Gus Yahya are directly connected to Gus Dur’s political chain, growing up within the interactions and socio-political ecosystem of Gus Dur’s network within the same generation of NU “Gus.”
All three inherited Gus Dur’s “zigzag” political style, confident, and somewhat controversial, following Gus Dur’s school of “controversialism,” although not as sophisticated as Gus Dur’s “exploding” style in the public sphere.
Gus Ipul is clearly “the real factor” in the projection of the 35th NU Congress. He is handling, from upstream to downstream, three major PBNU agendas simultaneously in one package: the National Conference and Grand Conference (Munas & Konbes) and the NU Congress.
His appointment as chairman of the “committee” handling the three major PBNU agendas in one package was not an ad hoc or technical matter, but rather a “system operator” within the dynamic vortex of PBNU leadership succession during the 35th NU Congress.
As Secretary General of PBNU and chairman of the Congress committee, which is “under the umbrella” of the PBNU Rois Am, supported by his position as Minister of Social Affairs, he has ample access and tactical reasons to consolidate his influence within key vote-holding centers (PWNU and PCNU) in various regions.
Gus Ipul’s “political” alliance with the incumbent Rois Am, KH Miftahul Akhyar, the supreme leader of the NU organization, is a pivotal force in the dynamic vortex of the 35th NU Congress, difficult for other pivots and factions to deny.
Gus Muhaimin is more open in his tactical alliance with two fellow ministers in President Prabowo’s cabinet: Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof. Nazarudin Umar, and Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency, Nusron Wahid.
The three are united by their shared background as PMII (Indonesian Islamic Students Association) activists, as reflected in their alliance’s recent Halal BI Halal IKA PMII forum.
The alliance between the three is powerful. Gus Muhaimin possesses a comprehensive political infrastructure across Indonesia through the National Awakening Party (PKB), the party he leads, to pave the way for consolidation. Furthermore, the social ecosystems of NU and PKB are under one roof—only in different rooms.
Prof. Nazarudin Umar, as Minister of Religious Affairs, has a strong base of votes from the NU faction of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, with over 150 voters at the upcoming Congress. Nusron Wahid’s crucial role is to orchestrate the consolidation and orchestrate its political agenda.
Although Gus Yahya, the incumbent chairman of the PBNU, is not as strong as Gus Ipul and Gus Muhaimin, he is the real factor in the projected dynamics of the 35th NU Congress. Like it or not, he cannot be underestimated.
Gus Yahya has proven his worth by successfully thwarting a tactical political alliance that attempted to “oust” him from the position of PBNU chairman some time ago, when the conflict between the Rois Am and the PBNU General Chairman was particularly intense.
In one of his posts on the “Terong Gosong” blog (October 21, 2021), Gus Yahya described the three of them’s relationship since their youth in the 1990s, a relationship that has become intense and dynamic. Gus Yahya wrote:
“Amidst all the ups and downs, whether they’ve been fighting or holding hands, it’s all because of NU. Muhaimin is difficult to kill no matter how hard history throws him, and Gus Ipul, thought dead, always manages to rise again,” Gus Yahya wrote.
The ultimate question is: will the three of them fight to the climax of the 35th NU Congress? Who will likely emerge victorious, or will this alliance of three “Gus” unite due to “palace” politics—Prabowo Subianto?
Could another faction emerge from within the mainstream of voters to assert that the PBNU must be independent and not be co-opted by the state, and that NU, as a force in civil society, must transform social change?
Let’s enjoy this series of NU drama episodes leading up to the culmination of the 35th NU Congress.**
Indramayu, April 30, 2026
Wassalam.
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