Nigeria: Bauchi Imam Removed for Campaigning for President Tinubu Inside Mosque

An Imam in Bauchi metropolis has been removed from his position for allegedly campaigning for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election inside the mosque.

Imam Dahiru Abubakar of Abdullahi Bin Zubbair Mosque in Madina quarters was suspended after he was accused of subtly campaigning for Tinubu after every obligatory prayer, including after Subhi (early morning) prayer on Sunday.

A source said a committee was set up after he repeated the act and he was subsequently removed.

Abubakar, however, defended his actions, saying he had been preaching that Tinubu was not responsible for the insecurity and hardship in the country.

“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,” he said.

He said his preaching centred on fear of God and that insecurity was an “end times phenomenon” that could only be stopped through prayers, citing crises in Sudan, Chad and Mali and asking whether Tinubu was responsible for those.

Confirming the removal, the Chairman of the mosque committee, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, said the issue was not only campaigning for Tinubu but turning the mosque into a political platform.

“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 said the committee had cautioned the Imam many times against using the mosque for politics, quoting the Quranic verse that says the mosque is solemnly for worship of Allah alone.

“There are laid down procedures, which are political parties, and the activities should take place in their political party offices and not in the mosque,” he added.

Jibrin also accused the Imam of insisting on changing the name of the mosque from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu, an idea the committee rejected.

“All the committee members said ‘no’ because the mosque belongs to the community,” he said, adding that the committee would 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. We are not against the candidate of any political party. Our prayer is to Allah to choose the best for the country,” Jibrin said.