SOUN’S APPOINTMENT OF ‘PALACE IMAM’ SPARKS DIVISION AMONG OGBOMOSO MUSLIMS
The Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, has appointed Sheikh Habeeb Ayilara as the new imam of the palace.
Oba Ghandi, a former lead pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, announced the appointment on Friday, through his official Facebook page, amidst his face-off with the embattled Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomoso, Sheikh Dr. Teliat Ayilara.
It was gathered that the announcement of Sheikh Habeeb, who is also from the Imam Mahmud Ayilara family, just as Dr. Teliat Ayilara, was part of activities marking Soun of Ogbomoso’s 63rd birthday.
A faction of the Ogbomoso Muslim community organised a special prayer in celebration of the monarch’s birthday.
During the special prayer held at the Abata section of the palace, Sheikh Habeeb was turbaned Imam of the palace by the League of Imams and Alfas of Ogbomoso.
He was later presented with the staff and certificate of office by the Asoju Muslumi of Ogbomosoland, Alhaji Mikail Misasco.
Soun, in his Facebook post, appreciated the faction of the Muslim community for honoring him with the special prayer on his birthday.
According to him, “This afternoon, I was deeply honored by the Ogbomoso Muslim community, who graciously organised a special prayer in celebration of my 63rd birthday.
“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the Muslims of Ogbomoso for this significant and thoughtful gesture.
“During the gathering, I took the opportunity to reaffirm my unwavering commitment to the principles of fairness, equity, and justice, which continue to guide me in all my endeavors.”
Following the prayers, Soun of Ogbomoso conferred on Sheikh Habeeb the title of “The Imam of Soun’s Palace”, saying that the palace requires an Imam who will not only lead prayers within the palace but also represent me in religious matters concerning the Muslim community both within our town and beyond.
“I firmly believe that the peaceful coexistence of all religious bodies is essential to fostering growth and progress in Ogbomoso. I remain committed to supporting and promoting this unity for the benefit of everyone in our community. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate and pray with me,” he added.
Corroborating the statement of the Soun, the Parakoyi of Ogbomoso-land Alhaji Sirajudeen Aleem insisted that Sheikh Habeeb would only serve as the Chief Imam of the palace, pending the outcome of a court case involving the incumbent Chief Imam.
According to him, “He (Sheikh Habeeb Ayilara) will be the Imam of the palace, the Imam of the Oba. We are not acting in contempt of the court because the matter is in court; it is the court that will tell us if Imam Teliat is Imam Ogbomoso or not. We are not removing him (Alhaji Teliat) as Chief Imam Ogbomoso, he is still there because the matter is in court. But the Imam of the Soun is the one we are turbaning today. Listen to me; he is Imam of the palace, of all the Soun Royal Houses.”
Chief Imam, Soun at loggerheads
It was also reported that the monarch and the grand chief Imam have been at loggerheads for some time, as insinuations of a plot to remove Imam Teliat made waves.
The last that was heard of their misunderstanding was when the Soun served the Chief Imam a query for leaving the shores of Ogbomoso to perform Hajj without his approval.
The Chief Imam swiftly responded in a letter, reminding the monarch that their case was still a matter of adjudication in the law court.
Recall that in June 2024, some concerned Muslims under the auspices of Registered Trustees of Ogbomoso Muslim Youths Forum had dragged Soun and the kingmakers who are members of Soun-In-Council to court over the plan to remove Sheikh Teliat.
The court, presided over by Justice K.B. Olawoyin, later barred the traditional ruler and the Soun-in-Council from removing the Chief Imam.
Reactions
The turbaning of the Palace Imam has however been greeted with reactions from other factions of the Muslim community who claimed it’s abnormal for the monarch to appoint an Imam without a mosque.
According to Ustadh Ibrahim, “No mosque inside the palace. Oba Ghandi has not built a mosque. The Imam will not be leading any jumm’ah. It’s not on record that he delivered a khutbah and led jumm’ah yesterday. We commend Oba Ghandi for clarifying the position of the newly appointed Imam.”
Other reactions from Oba Ghandi’s Facebook post
A Facebook user named Ganiyu Kabir said, “What is the rationale behind this ugly development? Nothing but to cause crisis and religious anarchy in the town. Well congratulations to the palace imam. Ride on Dr. Yunus, the chief imam of Ogbomoso land; come rain; come shine; I stand with the truth and the majority.
Another user, Nurudeen Ademola, said, “As a king from the Christian kingdom, you need to handle the affairs of Ogbomoso Muslims with maturity and decency so that you won’t have yourself to blame at the end if the religion crisis you want to ignite escalates beyond what you can quench.
“You are indirectly instigating a crisis within the Muslims in Ogbomoso and claiming to “remain committed to supporting and promoting this unity for the benefit of everyone in our community.”
“I wonder what is also meant by “also respect me in religious matters concerning the Muslim community both within our town and beyond, said Habeeb Lawal.”
