Bauchi Mosque Sacks Imam Dahiru Abubakar for Campaigning for Tinubu's 2027 Re-election

• A mosque committee in Bauchi removed Imam Dahiru Abubakar after he repeatedly used post-prayer sermons to campaign for President Tinubu
• The committee chairman confirmed the imam had been warned multiple times before his suspension following a Sunday morning sermon on October 18, 2026
• Imam Abubakar also sparked controversy by proposing to rename the community mosque after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

A mosque committee in Bauchi, Nigeria, removed Imam Dahiru Abubakar from his position after he persistently used prayer sessions to advocate for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's re-election ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Imam Abubakar had led prayers at a mosque in the Madina quarters of Bauchi metropolis, where he regularly addressed worshippers after obligatory prayers.

During these sessions, he argued that Nigeria's economic hardship and growing insecurity were signs of the "end times" rather than evidence of poor governance, and that President Tinubu should not be held accountable for such challenges.

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The final straw came after the early morning Subhi prayer on Sunday, October 18, 2026, when the mosque committee decided to act on their long-standing concerns about his conduct.

Mosque Committee's Reasons for Removal

The committee chairman, Imam Abubakar Jibrin, confirmed the decision and made clear that the issue extended beyond political commentary from the pulpit.

He said Abubakar had been gathering crowds both inside and outside the mosque to discuss politics, despite receiving numerous warnings.

"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," Jibrin said.

Jibrin also revealed that Abubakar had pushed for the mosque to be renamed from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a proposal the entire committee rejected outright.

"All the committee members said 'no' because the mosque belongs to the community," Jibrin stated, adding that the original name would remain unchanged.

The committee chair was unequivocal that the removal was permanent, saying Abubakar was free to establish or acquire his own mosque for political activities.

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

Imam Abubakar Defends His Sermons

Abubakar defended his conduct, insisting his preaching was grounded in religious principle rather than political loyalty.

He said he drew comparisons with conflicts in Sudan, Chad, and Mali to argue that Tinubu could not reasonably be blamed for Nigeria's difficulties.

"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 can stop the challenges with the power of prayers, and that didn't go down well with the committee of the mosque," he said.

Jibrin, for his part, stressed that the committee held no preference for any political candidate and that their sole prayer was for God to guide Nigeria towards the best possible leadership ahead of 2027.

Source: YEN.com.gh