Why Ganduje Barred Me From Preaching In Kano – Islamic Cleric Reveals

A Kano-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara, has accused Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of banning him from preaching because he worked against him during the 2019 general election.

The election, which was keenly contested, led to a runoff before Ganduje, who ran under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), defeated Abba Kabir Yusuf, his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rival.

Reports reaching Naija News at the moment confirmed that heavily armed officials of the Department of State Security, DSS, has been deployed to the Sheikh’s mosque and house to ensure there was no violation of the directive earlier issued.

The State government had earlier banned Kabara from leading prayers or preaching in the state over his messages which are considered to be inciting. A source who is well in the know about the situation revealed that the DSS men stormed the Sheikh apartment to bar his followers from coming on to protest or create a scene possible of causing violence.

But speaking with Daily Trust hours after his ban, Sheikh Abduljabbar Nasiru Kabara stated that the action taken against him is more of political than religious or incitement.

He said: “The reasons are very obvious. The person who took the decision (Ganduje) has said it times without number that he never forgives. I fought him during the last election and he promised to retaliate. Only that he is taking the wrong decision at the wrong time. So this ban is purely political, it has nothing to do with religion or incitement.

“I have told my followers to prepare their votes ahead of the next election and do the needful. Alhamdulillah for everything, I am fighting scholars, not Government, but at the end, Government took over on their behalf.

“This clearly shows that they don’t have answers to all my questions. How does the government know that I’m inciting the public on religious issues? Did they go through the books I have been making reference to before jumping to the conclusion? Are they even knowledgeable about them?

“They should at least checked the books I made reference to but without doing so, they have been unfair to me.

“This decision is sheer injustice. And, whosoever wants to understand the situation should look for what the Kano State Commissioner for Education said last night (Wednesday) wherein he explained that the government has deliberately succumbed to the pressure of these scholars who used their political ideologies to alter religious issues to their taste,” he said.

He, however, called on his followers to exercise patience with the Kano government decision and never revolt against it, adding that Injustice will never remain forever.