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2027: Bauchi mosque removes Imam over campaign for Tinubu
The management committee of Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair in Madina Quarters, Bauchi State, has removed its Imam, Dahiru Abubakar.
The development followed allegations that he used sermons to campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
This is even as the committee also rejected an alleged proposal by the Imam to rename the mosque after Tinubu.
According to Daily Trust, the Imam's removal was confirmed by Abubakar Jibrin, committee chairman.
Jibrin claimed that the Imam had repeatedly been warned against engaging in political activities within the mosque.
According to the report, the Imam had used sermons after obligatory prayers to defend Tinubu’s administration.
He was accused of telling worshippers that President Tinubu wasn't responsible for the country’s insecurity and deserved another term.
The committee decided to remove the Imam after he repeated the remarks following the early morning Subhi prayer on Sunday.
Jibrin said the committee’s concerns also included the Imam’s alleged practice of gathering people inside and in front of the mosque to discuss politics.
“We have warned him not once or twice but many times, but he didn’t heed our pleas,” Jibrin said. “We vehemently rejected the use of the mosque for political meetings.”
The Imam had also proposed to change the mosque’s name from Masjid Abdullahi Bin Zubbair to Masjid Imam Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
However, the committee rejected the proposal, insisting that the mosque belonged to the community and should retain its existing name.
Following the confirmation of an Ebola case in Abuja, some Nigerians on X have linked the development to the federal government’s plans for the 2027 general elections, questioning the timing of the outbreak and its handling of the case.
The comments include claims that the government could use the disease as a pretext to restrict movement, affect political gatherings or influence voter turnout ahead of the elections.
The federal government on Tuesday confirmed that a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda tested positive for Ebola and is receiving treatment in isolation at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Authorities said 44 close contacts had been identified, including healthcare workers, patients, caregivers and travel contacts, and are being monitored as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.
The announcement has triggered scepticism among some Nigerians online, with some questioning whether the case could be connected to political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
One X user, @xikonex, claimed that the government could impose movement restrictions after Christmas, alleging that such measures could prevent Nigerians from travelling to their polling areas.
“APC and Bola Tinubu are planning to use Ebola to restrict Nigerians’ movement immediately after Christmas,” the user wrote, alleging that the aim would be to prevent people from voting.
Another user, @funnycrown6, urged Nigerians to remain vigilant ahead of the elections, saying: “Nigeria’s health must never become a tool for political propaganda. Our lives are not campaign strategies.”
@AnthonyOnyeGuy also questioned the timing of the development, writing: “Conveniently happening 2 months to a general election.”
Another user, @Franeb, similarly alleged that the government could impose restrictions under the guise of containing Ebola, writing that “Bola Tinubu wants to lock down Nigeria in the name of Ebola.”
Comparing 2014 response
Some Nigerians also compared the current response with Nigeria’s handling of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer became the country’s index case after arriving in Lagos.
@N6oflife6 wrote that Nigerians knew the identity of the 2014 index case and the hospital where he was treated, but claimed that the government had provided less information about the current patient.
“Ebola has happened under BAT. Two days now we don’t even know the name of the patient or who they have contacted,” the user wrote.
Similarly, @firstladyship referenced Sawyer and the late physician Stella Adadevoh, who died after contracting Ebola while treating him, arguing that the current response has left room for “guesses” and “speculations”.
However, the federal government has assured that it is taking measures to contain the infection and prevent community transmission.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said authorities are currently treating the case as an imported infection rather than community transmission. The 44 identified contacts are being monitored for at least three weeks, while public health teams continue to identify people who may have been exposed.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also urged Nigerians to remain calm, saying that one imported case does not by itself mean Nigeria is experiencing an Ebola outbreak.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, said the organisation is supporting Nigeria with case investigation, contact tracing, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, and protection of health workers and communities.
Lawmakers demand action
Amid public concern, the House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the federal government to release outstanding funds appropriated for health agencies, citing the need to strengthen surveillance, contact tracing, and emergency response.
Lawmakers also raised concerns about infection prevention supplies, health-worker preparedness and emergency response capacity. The Senate separately called for the immediate release of emergency funds from the Service Wide Vote and urged stronger health screening at airports and other entry points.
Nigeria successfully contained its 2014 Ebola outbreak and was declared free of transmission by WHO on 20 October 2014, after 42 days without a new case. The outbreak recorded 20 cases, including 19 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case, with eight deaths.
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The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, on Thursday raised the alarm over an alleged plot to destabilise its ranks, undermine its electoral fortunes and weaken efforts to build a credible opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party accused some of its former members and serving officials of allegedly working to create divisions within its ranks and sabotage its grassroots support.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the PRP National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, alleged that those behind the plot were seeking to deploy hundreds of millions of naira to influence party members and create a faction within the organisation.
The party, however, did not name the individuals or provide evidence to substantiate the allegations in the statement.
Baba-Ahmed urged the party's members and the public to resist what he described as attempts to subvert the party, particularly the alleged recruitment of polling agents by individuals without the authority to do so.
He said, "Attempts to recruit polling agents for the party by persons with no authority to do so should be resisted. A huge amount of money may be available to buy members’ support for opposition candidates by party officials. These efforts should be resisted and exposed,” Baba-Ahmed said.
The PRP chairman also warned serving party officials allegedly involved in the scheme that they would face disciplinary action.
“The persons in the governing party involved in this scheme have been advised to steer clear of the PRP and distance themselves from attempts to create a faction with their party’s funds and their names. Serving officers of the Party involved in this scheme will face disciplinary measures,” he added.
Baba-Ahmed assured the party’s candidates and supporters that its leadership would not compromise their loyalty and commitment, insisting that the PRP remained determined to challenge the continuation of the current administration beyond 2027.
He said the party would also sustain its participation in efforts to build an opposition coalition capable of challenging the ruling party in the next general election.
The allegations come amid political realignments and ongoing efforts by opposition parties to forge alliances ahead of the 2027 elections, with the strength and unity of opposition platforms likely to shape the contest.
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