Oyo State League of Imams: Time to Caution Those Who Are Using Your Name to Scam Politicians | Sheikh Abu Fahimah Muhammadul Awwal

Wonders shall never end. In Oyo State, a certain unnamed people masquerading as members of the League of Imams. The scavengers in search of what to eat, stooped so low and went to beg a politician camouflaging as philanthropist that is playing hide and seek about his governorship ambition in order to prevail upon him to contest the 2027 gubernatorial Governorship in Oyo State. The said Alfas or Imams who refused to disclose their names to the media merely mentioned the chief imam of Ibadan as having granted them approval to embark on the courtesy call in order to woo the politician to contest. Although, the chief Imam of Ibadanland is yet to debunk this information but we give baba the benefit of the doubts that he couldn’t have given them such approval to use his name to get to the politician.

Apart from the fact that it’s very shameful and amount to offering our Imams for sale cheaply and manipulations, it also shows that they do not understand their mandate and appreciate the enormity of their offices as inheritors of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Mimbar is being desecrated and offered for a plate of fried rice and chicken.

How could Imam, not one, not two condescend so low as to be going to beg politician in his house to contest. The politician neither visited nor invited them. Even though we heard the politician has asked a group of Imams in Okeogun that he wanted to visit them because according to them, they don’t visit gubernatorial aspirants. Anybody that wanted to see them must come and meet them in their meeting or mosque. The League of Imams Okeogun has that policy and it’s commendable. Let them keep it up.

But one very serious and fundamental questions to ponder over are
what is the duty of Imam. What is the importance of the Mimbar?
When did the League of Imam become political party?
How many times have we heard in history that the league of Imam visited a notable member of their society purposely to invite him into Islam? Or at least to do general Dawah to the person to be doing good deeds.

What the unnamed members of the League of Imams in the 10 Local Governments of Ibadan have done is like passing a vote of no confidence on the Muslim politicians praying behind them. By necessary implications, they are saying that they have searched among their jamaah money bags, highly educated and politically relevant Muslims that could be encouraged to contest Governorship.

Who is advising them? What is pushing them? How many times have they seen the pastors or CAN leaders doing that? The only thing the pastors do and is when the politicians visit them or come to worship in their churches that they tell them their visions. They asked them to kneel down and pray. They used the period to command and hypnotize them. After placing hands on their heads and slapping the politicians, they begin to give further directives to the politicians. In fact they may go as far as dictating who becomes his deputy and form cabinet with him.

In our own case, what the Alfas would negotiate may not be beyond Agbo Ileya, Rice and provisions for Ramadan and Hajj and umrah. Only of recent, an average Alfa or Imam doing consultation included chairmanship or membership of the Hajj board on their demands..

These Alfas doing all these don’t fear Allah. They are not fit to continue to represent Islam. We need to restore their brains to pure Islamic factory settings.

May Allah forgive all of us.

Sheikh Abu Fahimah Muhammadul Awwal (Dai’y and Islamic Activist)