Ganduje banned me from preaching because I worked against him in 2019 – Cleric

By Tanimu Muhammad/:

A Kano-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abduljabbar Kabara, barred from preaching, said the action was more political than religious.

Kabara alleged that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje ordered his ban because he worked against him during the 2019 general election which he won.

The cleric made the allegations on Thursday, few hours after the state government clamped down on him over “inciting sermons.”

He said, “The reasons are very obvious. The person, who took the decision (Ganduje), has said it repeatedly that he never forgives. I fought him during the last election and he promised to retaliate.

“But the only thing is 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 decision is sheer injustice. 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.

Based on the ban order by the government, the Department of State Security has deployed its personnel in his mosque and residence to ensure strict compliance with the order.

In oder to prevent a breakdown of law and order, the DSS took over strategic locations around the cleric’s place of worship.