The management committee of a mosque in Madina Quarters, Bauchi metropolis, has removed Imam Dahiru Abubakar over allegations that he repeatedly used sermons to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The committee also rejected Abubakar’s alleged proposal to rename the mosque, currently known as Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair, after the president.
According to a report by Daily Trust, the imam had been using sermons after obligatory prayers to defend Tinubu against criticism over insecurity and economic hardship, urging worshippers to support his bid for a second term.
A source told the newspaper that the committee decided to remove him after he repeated the practice following the early morning Subhi prayer last Sunday, despite previous warnings.
“He would tell the congregation after prayer that Tinubu did not cause insecurity and he deserved to be reelected. A committee was set up after he did the same thing last weekend and he was subsequently removed,” the source said.
Abubakar defended his sermons, saying he had urged worshippers to stop blaming Tinubu for the country’s security and economic challenges, which he attributed to an “end times phenomenon.”
He said his preaching focused on religious devotion, prayer and the need to avoid blaming political leaders for every national problem.
“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.
“My preaching centred on telling people to embrace fear of God and stop blaming leaders for the insecurity, particularly President Tinubu, because only God’s intervention can stop the challenges with the power of prayers, and that didn’t go down well with the committee of the mosque.”
Abubakar added that he had cited security crises in Sudan, Chad and Mali to argue that Nigeria’s insecurity could not be blamed solely on Tinubu.
Confirming the removal, the mosque committee chairman, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, said the decision was prompted not only by the imam’s alleged political campaigning but also by his attempts to organise political discussions within the mosque.
“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 repeatedly warned Abubakar against turning the mosque into a political platform but that he failed to heed the warnings.
“The mosque committee sat down with him and cautioned him against turning the mosque to a political platform because of the Quranic verse which says the Mosque is solemnly for worship of Allah alone. We vehemently rejected the use of the mosque for political meetings. We have warned him not once or twice but many times, but he didn’t heed our pleas,” he said.
Jibrin also alleged that Abubakar had insisted on renaming the mosque Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a proposal the committee rejected on the grounds that the facility belonged to the community.
“All the committee members said ‘no’ because the mosque belongs to the community. This mosque has a committee of which I am one of the members, and when he insisted, we rejected the idea and resolved that the mosque name would remain Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair,” he said.
The chairman said the committee had decided not to reinstate Abubakar, adding that political activities should take place at party offices rather than places of worship.
“He should go and build his personal mosque, or politicians should buy a mosque for him; that is not our business,” Jibrin said.
He, however, denied that the committee was opposed to Tinubu or any other presidential candidate, saying its preference was for a leader who would benefit the country.
“Our prayer is to Allah to choose the best for the country, be it President Tinubu or any candidate among the presidential candidates that would become a blessing to the country,” he added.
- Tinubu, Nollywood Mourn Francis Duru - October 23, 2026
- Police, DSS, INEC Meet Political Parties in Plateau Over Election Violence - October 23, 2026
- Tinubu Appoints Ex-DSS Boss Bichi NISS Board Chairman - October 23, 2026