Power struggle over 'Imam' title at Tema

An uneasy calm is prevailing among members of the Muslim community in the Tema municipality, as there are two imams who worship at different mosques on Fridays.

Chronicle undercover investigations can reveal that Imam Abdul Samad, a Dagomba, and his followers worship at the central mosque, Community One, Site 1, on Fridays, while the former deputy Imam, Alhaji Azumah, a Malian, who served under the 41-year reign of the late imam, Abubakar Sulemana, who died last year, also worships with his followers at a newly created mosque at Site 2, Community One.

Investigations revealed that immediately after the death of the late Imam Sulemana, a struggle for the leadership ensued between the Dagombas and the rest of the tribes in the congregation.

Chronicle sources disclosed that the Dagomba muslim youth wing agitated for a Dagomba to be selected and installed as imam for the central mosque, instead of Alhaji Azumah, who had for so many years served as deputy imam for the central mosque.

It was further learnt from the sources that during the struggle, the imam of the Suhum Central Mosque, Chief Sergeant Adamu, whose mother is a Dagomba and father a Malian, approached Alhaji Adjei Kraku II, Tema Mantse to intervene.

But the Tema Mantse's intervention did not yield any fruitful result, as the Dagomba faction of the congregation strongly insisted that a Dagomba should become the next imam of the central mosque.

Chronicle wsa told that the selection and installation of the new imam, Abdul Samad, had the blessings of the Tema Municipal Assembly's (TMA) co-ordinating director, Alhaji J. L. M. Hussein, who allegedly insisted that the installation of Imam Samad came from Castle.

Alhaji Azumah, in order not to provoke violent attacks by both supporters of the two imams, decided to worship on Fridays in another mosque at Site 2, Community One, as the imam for his group.

A leader of the Muslim wing, Suleimana Bamcey, an aspiring assembly member, in an interaction, confirmed the power struggle which ensued, saying, "We all know that Alhaji Azumah, who was the deputy and the only person left, after the death of second deputy Imam, Mallam Hamidu, was the automatic choice as the imam.