Bauchi mosque removes imam over alleged campaign for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election

The management committee of Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair in Madina Quarters, Bauchi State, has removed its imam, Dahiru Abubakar, over allegations that he used sermons to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.

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The committee also rejected an alleged proposal by Mr Abubakar to rename the mosque after the president.

The committee’s chairman, Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed the removal in an interview with Daily Trust, saying the imam had repeatedly been warned against using the mosque for political activities.

A source told the newspaper that Mr Abubakar had subtly campaigned for Mr Tinubu during sermons after obligatory prayers, telling worshippers the president was not responsible for the country’s insecurity and deserved another term.

The committee reportedly set up a panel after a similar sermon the previous weekend. It removed the imam after he repeated the remarks following the early morning Subhi prayer on Sunday, 18 October.

Mr Jibrin said the committee’s concerns went beyond the alleged campaign for Mr Tinubu to include the imam’s practice of gathering people in front of the mosque and sometimes inside it to discuss politics.

“We have warned him not once or twice but many times, but he didn’t heed our pleas,” Mr Jibrin said. “We vehemently rejected the use of the mosque for political meetings.”

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Mr Abubakar, however, denied that his sermons amounted to partisan campaigning, saying he had urged worshippers to stop blaming Mr Tinubu for Nigeria’s insecurity and economic challenges, which he described as an “end times phenomenon.”

“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.

He added that his sermons focused on the fear of God, prayer and daily conduct. He also cited insecurity in Sudan, Chad and Mali to argue that Mr Tinubu could not be held responsible for every security crisis.

Mr Jibrin further alleged that the imam had insisted on renaming the mosque from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the committee chairman, members rejected the proposal, saying that the mosque belonged to the community and its name should remain unchanged.

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“All the committee members said ‘no’ because the mosque belongs to the community,” Mr Jibrin said. “When he insisted, we rejected the idea and resolved that the mosque name would remain Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair.”

Mr Jibrin said the committee decided not to reinstate Mr Abubakar, stressing that it was not opposed to any political candidate but would not allow the mosque to be used for political activities.

He said political campaigns and meetings should be conducted through political parties and at their offices rather than in a mosque.

“Our prayer is to Allah to choose the best for the country, be it President Tinubu or any candidate among the presidential candidates who would become a blessing to the country,” he said.