Photo: President Bola Tinubu (file photo) — Ricardo Stuckert / PR via Wikimedia Commons
President Bola Tinubu was booed by a section of worshippers at the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, Garki, Abuja, on Friday, shortly after observing Juma'at prayers at the historic mosque.
Video clips obtained by Premium Times showed people chanting slogans against the president as his convoy left the mosque, including "Ba mayi, ba ma so" — a Hausa expression loosely translated as "We are not supporting you" — and "Tinubu Must Go."
- Tinubu attended Friday prayers at the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque, Abuja's first central mosque, after its renovation
- Worshippers chanted "Ba mayi, ba ma so" and "Tinubu Must Go" as his convoy departed
- Eyewitnesses linked the protest to heavy security restrictions around the visit; the Presidency had not responded at filing
Why worshippers say they protested at the mosque
An eyewitness told Premium Times the protest may have been triggered by the restrictions imposed because of the visit: security operatives stopped people entering after the president arrived at about 1:49 p.m., roads were blocked, and worshippers were held inside until he departed.
A second source at the mosque described the security arrangements as excessive and said the booing started from the area where people had been barricaded outside.
Tinubu at the renovated Shehu Shagari Mosque
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that a large crowd attended the prayers at the mosque — the first central mosque established in the Federal Capital Territory — following its renovation, which the president facilitated.
Chief Imam Rabiu Suleiman delivered a sermon based on Surah Al-Fatihah and prayed for Nigeria's peace and for the president's wisdom and health. Tinubu was accompanied by NSA Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and former Kano governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
What happens next
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga did not respond to calls from Premium Times as of the time of filing, and no official reaction had been issued.
It is the second time in this campaign season that a crowd has chanted the "Ba ma yi" rejection slogan at the president, after a section of the crowd did so at the APC campaign flag-off in Kaduna in October, as reported by Daily Trust.
Sources: Premium Times (report and video clips); News Agency of Nigeria via News Investigators. Follow @newstweetnaija for more.
