An imam at a mosque in the Madina quarters of Bauchi metropolis has been removed from his position after he campaigned for President Bola Tinubu's re-election from the pulpit.
The decision followed repeated warnings from the mosque committee, which said the place of worship must not become a political platform.
Imam Dahiru Abubakar was removed after he repeated the act following the early morning (Subhi) prayer on Sunday.
According to a source, he had been subtly campaigning for Tinubu’s re-election during preaching after every obligatory prayer.
“He would tell the congregation after prayer that Tinubu did not cause insecurity and he deserved to be reelected,” the source said. A committee was set up after he did the same thing last weekend, and he was subsequently removed.
Imam Defends His Preaching
Abubakar told our correspondent that he had been telling worshippers that President Tinubu was not the problem. In his view, the hardship and insecurity were caused by an “end times phenomenon.”
He said, “I have been preaching to the people to stop castigating President Tinubu for the insecurity and economic challenges. They prepared to vote for him and give him another mandate in 2027 to continue his mandate.“
He added that his preaching centred on the fear of God.
“I cited examples of what is happening, especially insecurity in African countries like Sudan, Chad, Mali and others facing crisis. I asked whether President Tinubu was responsible for their insecurity,” he said.
Mosque Committee Explains Removal
Chairman of the mosque committee, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed the incident. He said the committee’s problem went beyond the campaign for Tinubu.
“Our major challenge with him was not only his campaign for Tinubu but the way and manner he gathered many people in front of the mosque and sometimes entered the mosque purposely to discuss politics,” Jibrin said.
He added, “The mosque committee sat down with him and cautioned him against turning the mosque to a political platform because of the Quranic verse which says the Mosque is solemnly for worship of Allah alone.“
Jibrin said the committee warned him many times, but he did not heed their pleas.
He explained that politics has laid down procedures through political parties, and such activities should take place in party offices, not in the mosque.
Name Change Bid Rejected
Jibrin also said Abubakar wanted to rename the mosque from Abdullahi Bin Zubbair mosque to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu mosque. The committee rejected the idea, insisting the mosque belongs to the community.
He said the committee has removed Abubakar and will not reinstate him.
“He should go and build his personal mosque, or politicians should go buy a mosque for him; that is not our business,” he said.
Jibrin, however, clarified that the committee is not against any political candidate.
“Our prayer is to Allah to choose the best for the country, be it President Tinubu or any candidate among the presidential candidates that would become a blessing to the country,” he added.
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