A new League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland, Edo, and Delta states was inaugurated in Iwo on Thursday, promising collaboration with Northern Muslim leaders to advance Islam.
The event, attended by Imams and Alfas from Ogbomoso, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, and other states, was organized by the Grand Mufti of Yorubaland, Sheikh Dawood Imran.
According to Imran, the league aims to “strengthen the Muslim Ummah economically, politically, and educationally, while safeguarding the dignity, security, and collective interests of Yoruba Muslims.”
He added that the league will work with Islamic leaders in Northern Nigeria to foster unity and shared progress across the Muslim community. The league is open to all Imams and Islamic scholars who wish to join its activities.
Sheikh Waliyullahi Sanusi, Chief Imam of Ido, urged the league to maintain inclusive and non-hereditary leadership to sustain credibility and unity.
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However, the Deputy Ameer of the Southwest Council of Islamic Preachers, Sheikh Abdulahi Olohunlomerue, rejected the formation of the parallel group, describing the inauguration as “an embarrassment” and warning that it could undermine existing Islamic leadership structures in the region.
The move comes amid continued oversight of Islamic affairs in the south-west by the original League of Imams and Alfas, founded in 1964, which includes the Chief Imams of Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States.
The formation of the new league follows the six Chief Imams’ meeting in Ibadan on February 5, where they declared Ramadan would begin on February 18.