Accra: Sheikh Hajj Umar Ibrahim, the national Imam of the Ahlussunnah wal Jama’a Ghana (ASWAJ), a dominant sectarian group, has boycotted Eid prayers after failing to prevent his deputy from leading the Eid prayers.

The attempt to prevent Sheikh Kamal Mohammed, the first deputy imam, from leading the congregation nearly marred the occasion, which was momentarily chaotic, causing the security personnel to intervene at the forecourt of the statehouse.

The Sunni Imam had wanted Sheikh Mohammed Awal, the acclaimed youth leader of the group, to lead the congregational prayer, a decision that was unwelcome by ardent supporters of the deputy Imam.

Despite the ensuing commotion that was witnessed by the former vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and his wife, the deputy imam proceeded to lead the prayers, which eventually muted all fracas at the venue.

The de facto leader of the group, accompanied by the youth leader, failed to join the prayers and deserted his seat. This was after he had earlier exchanged pleasantries with Dr Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The incident on May 27 was an eruption of a built-up tension among the leadership of the Muslim group, which became public when Hajj Umar held a press conference in November 2023 to disapprove of Sheikh Kamil as the first deputy imam.

The disapproval comes after the members of the group had duly elected him on three occasions to be their first deputy imam.

To put matters to rest, delegates at the 16th ASWAJ National Representative Congress in November last year voted and reaffirmed Sheikh Mohammed Kamil as its first national deputy imam.

They also elected Sheikh Mohammed Amin Osman as the second deputy imam, with Sheikh Hajj Umar Ibrahim being the undisputed imam of the Muslim group.

The election witnessed by the top hierarchy of the Ghana Police Service was meant to bring finality to a long-standing dispute over the deputy imam positions that had been lingering over the past three years.

At the end of the election, the 16 regional imams of the Muslim group paid their allegiance to the elected through handshakes and embraces.

The National Imam, however, opposed the election again, citing his inability to work with Sheikh Kamil, whom he accused of insubordination.