The Ghanaian Minaret

Accra: The leadership of Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah (ASWAJ) Ghana is seeking to amend some provisions of their constitution to guarantee efficient administration of the organisation.

The decision to amend comes at a time when the Muslim organisation was experiencing some leadership impasse that led to the indefinite postponement of its annual national dawah event.

The move was announced on Saturday at a press briefing in Accra, which was organised by the National Imam of Ahlusunnah Wal Jamaa, Hajj Umar Ibrahim.

“The current happenings in Ahlusunna suggest some amendments to some portions of the constitution. I urge all of us to forward our suggestions to the amendment committee for onward submission to the NRA,” the Imam said in a statement read on his behalf.

Over the past two months, the leadership of the organisation has been engulfed in a power struggle over who should be the first and second deputy of the sectarian Muslim group.

To put the matter to rest, the Imam said that Sheikh Mohammed Kamil Mohammed would be the Deputy National Imam in charge of Da’wa and Education, while Sheikh Munir Abdallah Taufiq would be the Deputy National Imam in charge of Administration.

“I declare that the ranking system attached to my deputies is abolished forever. All my deputies are now without any rank of preference. They shall be known by their sectors of concentration.

“I want to clarify that per our constitution, no deputy is an automatic successor to the National Imam. Therefore, fighting over a position is an exercise in futility,” he said.

Hajj Umar also noted that no deputy has the prerogative of representing the National Imam at events and programmes without his authorization.

He also intimated that he had the power to reshuffle and delegate functions to the deputies without recourse to any individual or group within the organisation.

He added that “no deputy or secretary shall convene any ASWAJ meeting without first seeking my approval and discussing the agenda of such meeting with me.”

“All ASWAJ councils, boards, assemblies, and committees must take up their work and report to the National Executive Council. All regional imams must concentrate on their core mandate to strengthen Ahlussunnah at the local and regional levels,” he said.

While some welcome the move to amend the constitution, many consider it an act to consolidate the power of the National Imam, who may soon have the power to dismiss and appoint his deputies.

A decision that was to be taken by the National Dawah Council of the organisation through an election, in line with stipulations of the organisation’s constitution.