Bauchi Mosque Removes Imam Over Political Campaigning in Sermons
A mosque committee in Bauchi, Nigeria, has dismissed Imam Dahiru Abubakar after he repeatedly used sermons to campaign for President Bola Tinubu's re-election and proposed renaming the mosque after the president.
A mosque committee in Bauchi, Nigeria, has removed Imam Dahiru Abubakar from his position after accusing him of repeatedly using the mosque to promote President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general election. The imam served at a mosque in Madina Quarters in Bauchi metropolis.
According to the committee, Abubakar urged worshippers during sermons after obligatory prayers to support Tinubu, arguing that the president was not responsible for Nigeria's insecurity and deserved another term. He was suspended after repeating the practice following the Subhi prayer on Sunday.
The imam admitted discussing the president during his sermons, describing the country's hardship and insecurity as an «end times phenomenon.» He said he had been preaching to the people to stop castigating President Tinubu for the insecurity and economic challenges, and that they should prepare to vote for him and give him another mandate in 2027 to continue his mandate.
The committee chairman, Jibrin, said the major challenge with the imam 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. He explained that the committee repeatedly warned Abubakar against turning the mosque into a political gathering place, insisting that political activities should be conducted at party offices.
The chairman also accused the imam of pushing to rename the mosque from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to Jibrin, the committee rejected the proposal, maintaining that the mosque belonged to the community and would retain its original name.
He confirmed that Abubakar had been removed and would not be reinstated. «He should go and build his personal mosque, or politicians should go buy a mosque for him; that is not our business,» Jibrin said.
The dismissal underscores a sensitive boundary in Nigeria's religious landscape, where mosques and churches are expected to remain spaces of worship and community rather than arenas for partisan campaigning. The committee's insistence that political activity belongs in party offices reflects a wider concern among religious leaders and congregants about the integrity of sacred spaces as the country's electoral cycle approaches.
The case also raises questions about the role of religious leaders in public life and the extent to which they may address political matters from the pulpit. While the imam framed his message as pastoral guidance on hardship and insecurity, the committee viewed his repeated appeals for a specific candidate as a breach of the mosque's non-partisan character.
The mosque, which the committee says belongs to the community, will retain its original name, Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair. The committee's decision to remove the imam permanently signals a firm stance against the politicization of worship in Bauchi.
11
