The Bono Regional Chief Imam, Alhaji Umar Abdul Kadir, has reacted to claims of his alleged partisan association with the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe Abronye, ahead of the NPP regional executive elections, maintaining that he has no alignment with him.
This comes after one of the regional chairman aspirants had allegedly suggested that Abronye had issues with the Regional Chief Imam, despite the fact that he even paid a courtesy visit to the Imam on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr.
A statement signed by the Bono Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council (NPC), Alhaji Sualla Abdallah Quandah, who is also the secretary to the Bono Regional Chief Imam, therefore clarified that the office of Regional Chief Imam “is religious, apolitical and won’t tow a political line”.
According to him, the office of Regional Chief Imam hinges on neutrality, devoid of partisan politics at all times irrespective of political membership or association.
“The Office of the Regional Chief Imam has noted with grave concern, some scrupulous individuals and persons who, for their own political and parochial interests, are dragging the name of the Regional Chief Imam and that of the office into the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) regional executive elections just to score cheap political points, and advantage over opponents,” part of the statement read.
Alhaji Abdallah Quandah further explained that office of the Chief Imam cannot be used to play any political game, stressing that “the office exists for all and the collective wellbeing of society”.
“Let it be put on record that the Regional Chief Imam’s office is, first of all, a religious one, and hence apolitical. Religion is the embodiment of all the different people in society. Politics, on the other hand, is, unfortunately, the pitching of one side of society against the other,” he said.
Apolitical
It added: “The Office of the Regional Chief Imam exists for all and the good of society. Hence, it is absurd to note that the reputation of the office, and the Chief Imam in particular, is used to play a political game of that nature”.
To this end, Alhaji Abdallah Quandah stated categorically that both the Office and the Chief Imam are not on the side of any of the aspirants of the NPP regional chairmanship position.
He therefore called on well-meaning people in the region and the general public to discard anything contrary that is heard on various social media, traditional and other platforms.
The attempt, he said, is pure mischief and a propaganda tool employed by individuals to enhance their political fortunes, insisting that politics is a game of policy and ideas.
“Whoever that communicates clearly their policies would definitely win the favour of delegates. The Chief Imam treats all persons as equal, and would not prefer one over the other for any reason (s). The Office and the Chief Imam is, therefore, appealing to persons who are trying to drag the reputation of the Chief Imam and his noble office into their political game to kindly desist from such acts,” Alhaji Abdallah Quandah cautioned.
