Mosque Removes Imam Over Alleged Tinubu Re-election Campaign
The management committee of Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair in Madina Quarters, Bauchi State, has removed its imam, Dahiru Abubakar, over allegations of using religious sermons to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The committee also rejected an alleged proposal by the imam to rename the mosque after the president, insisting that the religious centre belonged to the community and should retain its original name.
The committee’s chairman, Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed the development, explaining that the imam had repeatedly been warned against engaging in political activities within the mosque but failed to comply.
According to a source, Abubakar allegedly used sermons delivered after obligatory prayers to defend Tinubu against criticism over the country’s insecurity and economic challenges, while urging worshippers to support his re-election bid.
The committee reportedly established a panel to investigate the matter after a similar sermon the previous weekend. The decision to remove the imam was taken after he allegedly repeated the remarks following the early morning Subhi prayer on Sunday, October 18.
Jibrin said the committee’s concerns extended beyond the alleged endorsement of Tinubu to the imam’s reported practice of gathering people in front of the mosque and, on some occasions, inside the premises to discuss political matters.
“We have warned him not once or twice but many times, but he didn’t heed our pleas,” the chairman said, adding that the committee strongly opposed the use of the mosque for political meetings.
However, Abubakar denied that his sermons amounted to partisan campaigning. He maintained that his message was aimed at discouraging worshippers from blaming Tinubu for Nigeria’s insecurity and economic difficulties.
“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 imam reportedly described insecurity and economic hardship as an “end times phenomenon” and argued that the security challenges confronting countries such as Sudan, Chad and Mali showed that not every crisis could be attributed to Nigeria’s president.
He added that his sermons primarily focused on the fear of God, prayer and proper conduct.
Jibrin further alleged that Abubakar had proposed changing the mosque’s name from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the chairman, the committee unanimously rejected the proposal, maintaining that the mosque’s name should not be changed to reflect political affiliations.
“All the committee members said ‘no’ because the mosque belongs to the community,” Jibrin said.
He added that the committee had resolved not to reinstate the imam, stressing that its decision was not motivated by opposition to Tinubu or any other political candidate.
The chairman maintained that mosques should remain places of worship rather than platforms for political mobilisation, advising politicians and their supporters to conduct campaigns and meetings through political parties and their offices.
“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.
