The Osun State League of Imams and Alfas has countered the demand by the Iwo Board of Ulama for the chairmanship of the State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, saying no zone or town has a monopoly over the position.
In a communiqué dated October 8, 2026, and signed by the Grand Imam of Osun State, Shaykh Musa Animasahun, the League warned that such unilateral claims are capable of creating unnecessary tension within the Muslim Ummah in the state.
“The Osun State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board is an institution overseen by the government, of which the League of Imams and Alfas are stakeholders. No individual, subgroup, or single community possesses the authority to unilaterally declare itself the occupant of this office,” the communiqué stated.
To clarify the succession history, the League listed past chairmen by zone.
According to the communique, “Iwo axis has produced three chairmen: Alhaji Liad Tella, Sheikh Amutatullah Abdul-Rasheed and Alhaji Abdul-Hammed Akintayo; Ijesha zone, two: Alhaji Rahman Babatunde Muhammed and Alhaji Zikrullah Olakunle Hassan; and Osogbo zone, three: Shaykh Tajudeen A. Arikewuyo, Alhaji Lateef Owolabi and the incumbent, Dr. Moruf Isola, whose tenure runs till 2030.”
The communique added that Ede, Ife, Ikire and Ikirun are yet to produce a chairman.
It argued that equity demands that the unrepresented zones be considered when the incumbent’s tenure expires in 2030.
The League appealed to Governor Adeleke to allow the religious leadership to consult and present a qualified candidate at the appropriate time, as was done in his first term.
The reaction follows a press conference by the Iwo Board of Ulama, where Islamic scholars and representatives of Muslim groups in Iwo urged the governor to appoint an Iwo indigene as chairman of the Hajj Board.
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