An imam in Bauchi metropolis, Dahiru Abubakar, has been removed from his position after repeatedly campaigning for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election during religious sermons and allegedly attempting to turn the mosque into a political platform.

 

Abubakar, who served at a mosque in Madina quarters of Bauchi, was reportedly cautioned several times by the mosque committee over his political preaching but continued despite the warnings.

 

The development followed his latest remarks after the early morning prayer, known as Subhi, on Sunday, when he allegedly continued urging worshippers to support Tinubu for another term in 2027.

 

A source familiar with the incident said the imam had repeatedly told congregants after obligatory prayers that Tinubu was not responsible for the country’s insecurity and deserved to be re-elected.

 

According to the source, a committee was constituted after he repeated the act the previous weekend, leading to his eventual removal.

 

Speaking on the controversy, Abubakar confirmed that he had been using his sermons to discourage worshippers from blaming Tinubu for Nigeria’s economic hardship and security challenges.

 

He argued that the problems were part of what he described as an “end times phenomenon” and maintained that divine intervention and prayers were necessary to address them.

 

“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 said.

 

The former imam explained that his sermons focused on the fear of God and the need for people to stop blaming political leaders, particularly Tinubu, for insecurity.

 

He also cited security crises in other African countries, including Sudan, Chad and Mali, questioning whether the Nigerian president was responsible for the challenges facing those nations.

 

Abubakar said his position did not go down well with the mosque committee.

 

Mosque Committee Explains Decision

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The chairman of the mosque committee, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed the removal, explaining that the decision was not based solely on Abubakar’s support for Tinubu but also on his alleged attempts to organise political gatherings around the mosque.

 

Jibrin said the committee had repeatedly warned the imam against bringing political activities into the place of worship.

 

“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,” he said.

 

He explained that the committee considered the mosque a place exclusively dedicated to the worship of Allah and would not allow it to become a venue for political meetings.

 

According to Jibrin, the committee had cautioned Abubakar on several occasions, urging him to keep political activities within the structures provided by political parties.

 

He maintained that although politics was important in the process of choosing leaders, mosques should not be used as platforms for political mobilisation.

 

Disagreement Over Mosque’s Name

Jibrin further disclosed that the dispute extended to Abubakar’s alleged insistence that the mosque should be renamed from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

He said the proposal was rejected by all members of the committee, who maintained that the mosque belonged to the community and that its name would remain unchanged.

 

“All the committee members said ‘no’ because the mosque belongs to the community,” Jibrin said, adding that the committee had resolved to retain the original name.

 

The committee chairman said Abubakar would not be reinstated, advising him to establish his own mosque if he wished to pursue his preferred approach.

 

Jibrin, however, stressed that the committee was not opposed to Tinubu or any other political candidate.

 

He said the committee’s position was that the choice of Nigeria’s next leader should be left to Allah, expressing hope that whoever emerged victorious in the 2027 presidential election would be a blessing to the country.