A mosque committee in Bauchi metropolis has removed Imam Dahiru Abubakar after accusing him of using sermons and gatherings at the mosque to campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election.
The dispute arose at a mosque in Madina Quarters, where Abubakar had been preaching after obligatory prayers. The committee said it had repeatedly warned him against bringing politics into the mosque, but decided to remove him after he again addressed the issue following the dawn prayer on Sunday.
Abubakar acknowledged speaking about Tinubu during his sermons but said his intention was to discourage worshippers from blaming the president for insecurity and economic hardship. He argued that such problems required religious devotion and prayer, rather than public condemnation of political leaders.
“I have been preaching to the people to stop castigating President Tinubu for the insecurity and economic challenges,” he said. “I told them that he was not the cause of the problems and that they should give him another mandate in 2027 to continue his work.”
Abubakar said his sermons focused on the fear of God and people’s daily conduct. He said he had also cited insecurity in countries including Sudan, Chad and Mali, asking worshippers whether Tinubu was responsible for the crises in those places.
The imam said his message had not gone down well with the mosque committee, which, in his view, objected to his appeal for people to support the president.
The committee’s chairman, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, said the decision to remove Abubakar was based not only on his comments in support of Tinubu but also on what the committee described as his efforts to hold political discussions at the mosque.
“Our major challenge with him was not only his campaign for Tinubu, but the way he gathered people in front of the mosque and sometimes entered the mosque purposely to discuss politics,” Jibrin said.
He said the committee had cautioned Abubakar several times, arguing that the mosque should be reserved for worship and not used as a political platform.
“Politics is the process of producing leaders in the country, but there are laid-down procedures. Political activities should take place in party offices and not in the mosque,” he said.
Jibrin also accused Abubakar of proposing that the mosque be renamed Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The imam had reportedly suggested changing its name from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair.
The committee rejected the proposal, saying the mosque belonged to the community and its name would remain unchanged.
“All the committee members said no because the mosque belongs to the community,” Jibrin said. “When he insisted, we rejected the idea and resolved that the name would remain Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair.”
Jibrin said Abubakar would not be reinstated. He added that the committee was not opposed to any political candidate and would leave the choice of the country’s leaders to God.
“Our prayer is for Allah to choose the best for the country, be it President Tinubu or any other candidate who would be a blessing to the country,” he said.
