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Mallam Dahiru Abubakar, the imam in charge of Madina Quarters Mosque in Bauchi metropolis, has been removed for campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

It was gathered that Abubakar was suspended after repeatedly ignoring warnings from the mosque committee. Upon his return from suspension last Sunday, he reportedly repeated the act after the Subh (morning) prayers, prompting the committee to set up an investigation into his conduct.

The committee was said to have recommended his removal, after which he was dismissed.

Speaking on his removal in an interview, Abubakar said, “I have been preaching to the people to stop attacking President Tinubu over the insecurity and economic hardships facing Nigerians. Nigerians are ready to vote for him and give him another mandate in 2027 to continue his mandate.

“My preaching centred on telling people to embrace the fear of God and stop blaming leaders for the insecurity, particularly President Tinubu, because only God’s intervention, through the power of prayers, can stop these challenges. That did not go down well with the mosque committee.

“My preaching priorities are the fear of God and our day-to-day activities. I cited examples of what is happening, especially insecurity in African countries like Sudan, Chad, Mali and others facing crises. I asked whether President Tinubu was responsible for their insecurity.”

When contacted, the mosque committee chairman, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed that the embattled imam had been removed and would not be reinstated.

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Explaining the reason for the decision, Jibrin said, “Our major challenge with him was not only his campaign for Tinubu but also the way he gathered many people in front of the mosque and sometimes entered the mosque purposely to discuss politics.

“The mosque committee sat down with him and cautioned him against turning the mosque into a political platform because of the Quranic verse which says the mosque is solely for the worship of Allah. We vehemently rejected the use of the mosque for political meetings.

“We have warned him not once or twice but many times, but he did not heed our pleas.

“Even though we believe that politics is the process of producing leaders in the country, there are laid-down procedures, which involve political parties, and political activities should take place in party offices, not in the mosque.”

Jibrin also said that, apart from campaigning for the president, Abubakar had been insisting on changing the name of the mosque from Abdullahi Bin Zubbair Mosque to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“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. When he insisted, we rejected the idea and resolved that the mosque’s name would remain Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair.

“He should go and build his personal mosque, or politicians should buy a mosque for him; that is not our business.

“Let me clarify that we, members of the mosque committee, are not against the candidate of any political party. Our prayer is for Allah to choose the best for the country, be it President Tinubu or any other presidential candidate who would be a blessing to the country,” Jibrin added.