Fresh crisis is brewing in Ogbomoso, the second largest city in Oyo State, over the appointment of Habib Ayilara as the palace Imam by the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye.
It was gathered that Habib Ayilara was appointed by Olaoye on Friday.
He would be the first person to occupy such a position in the ancient city.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that there was nothing like a palace Imam in the ancient city until Olaoye appointed Habib Ayilara on Friday.
The appointment of the palace Imam is not unconnected with the feud between the Chief Imam of Ogbomoso, Sheik Teliat Yunus Ayilara and the traditional ruler.
Our correspondent reports that the Chief Imam and the monarch have been at loggerheads since the traditional ruler was crowned.
Ayilara was turbaned as the Chief Imam in November 2022 during the reign of the immediate past Soun, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi.
It had been reported reported that Olaoye had in June this year issued a query letter to the Chief Imam for embarking on holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Ayilara in his reaction said that Olaoye lacked power to issue a query to him.
Journalists however, gathered that Olaoye has created the office of palace Imam and has appointed Habib Ayilara as the pioneer palace Imam.
Investigation by Journalists revealed that the appointment of palace Imam did not go down well with the majority of the Muslims in the town.
Some stakeholders among whom are the Ogbomoso Muslim community and the Muslim Rights Concern have expressed divergent views over the matter.
We are not aware of any appointment – Ogbomoso Muslim community
The Muslim community of Ogbomoso said that it was not aware of any appointment.
Chairman, Muslim Community of Ogbomoso, Alhaji Akintoye Abdusalam Olla said that the Muslim community was not informed about the appointment of palace Imam by the Soun.
Olla, who spoke with Journalists on Sunday, said that he and other Muslims saw the information on social media.
He described the appointment of a palace Imam as an attempt by the Soun to create division among the Muslims in the ancient city.
“We were not informed about it, we only saw it on social media. It is the Soun that is creating all these problems for us, not the Chief Imam.
“The person he appointed as palace Imam is from the same family with the Chief Imam of Ogbomoso, they contested together before the Chief Imam emerged.
“They are just finding ways to disturb the peace of the Muslim community in Ogbomoso.
“They are looking for ways to destabilize the Muslim community of Ogbomoso. They have an agenda. They just picked that one to cause a problem. We were not informed, we just saw it on social media,” he said.
It is an attempt to divide Muslims in Ogbomoso – MURIC
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described the appointment of Habib Ayilara as palace Imam as a subterfuge to weaken Islam.
MURIC in a statement made available to Journalists also described the appointment as a stratagem to enslave Muslims and a chicanery to exploit the Muslim population of Ogbomoso.
The group advised Muslims in the ancient city not to fall for the king’s divide and rule tactics.
MURIC made these assertions in a statement issued on Saturday by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
Akintola in the statement made available to Journalists said that there was no vacancy in the Chief imamate of Ogbomoso because there can be only one Chief Imam in a city of the caliber of Ogbomoso and the post has been filled by Chief Imam, Talihat Yunus Olushina Ayilara.