The Gonja Sakpare, also known as the Kamagtey Clan of Gonja, have rejected the recognition of Alhaji Amadu Musah of the Damongo Jami’u Mosque (Central Mosque) as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam, insisting that the position must be occupied in accordance with established Gonja customary and Islamic leadership practices.
The clan insists Yagbon Imam Sheikh Alhaji Kassim Abdulai remains the recognised spiritual head under Gonja customary practice.
In a letter dated September 9, 2026, and signed by Alhaji Mohammed Abdallah, Chief Imam of Buipe and Spiritual Head of the Gonja Sakpare Clan, the clan said it was unable to recognise Alhaji Amadu Musah despite a certificate dated February 19, 2022, which he presented as confirmation of his induction into the position by the National Chief Imam, His Eminence Alhaji Dr. Usmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.
The development has brought renewed attention to the traditional Islamic leadership structure of the Gonja Kingdom and the authority to recognise a regional chief imam.
Background to the Dispute
In a letter dated September 4, 2026, addressed to the Buipe Chief Imam and imams across the traditional areas of Gonja, Alhaji Amadu Musah presented what he described as a certificate recognising his position as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
In the letter, he stated;
“I am by this letter presenting to your noble office certificate of recognition of my humble self as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam by His Eminence the National Chief Imam, Alhaji Doctor Osmanu Nuhu Sharabutu.”
However, the Sakpare Clan, in its response five days later, disputed the basis of the claim, arguing that the position is governed by the historical and customary arrangements of the Gonja Kingdom.
The September 9 letter was addressed to Alhaji Amadu Musah, the Yagbonwura, the Supreme Imam of the Gonja Kingdom (Yagbon Imam), imams across Gonja traditional areas and other stakeholders.
Sakpare Clan Cites Gonja Customary Practice
According to the clan, the Imamate of Gonja predates and is conterminous with the Savannah Region, with the Buipe lineage of the Sakpare Clan traditionally providing the imam to the court of the Yagbonwura.
The clan maintains that the Yagbon Imam traditionally serves as the spiritual head of Muslims throughout the Gonja Kingdom and, by extension, occupies the position recognised as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
It cited historical works, including Yagbonwura Timu’s The History and Social Organisation of the Peoples of Gonja (1983) and Andreas Walter Massing’s The Imams of Gonja (2012), as supporting its position on the historical development and organisation of the Gonja Imamate.
The clan argues that the regional title cannot be considered independently of the established Islamic leadership structure of the Gonja Kingdom.
National Chief Imam’s Office Cited
A major basis for the Sakpare Clan’s position is a letter it says it received from the Office of the National Chief Imam in August 2023.
The letter, referenced ONCI/RC/03/23 and signed by the National Executive Secretary, Alhaji Awaisu Salisu Bio, on behalf of the National Chief Imam, reportedly stated that the Office of the National Chief Imam does not install Regional Chief Imams.
According to the Sakpare Clan, the correspondence explained that people within a region normally appoint their Regional Chief Imam and subsequently inform the Office of the National Chief Imam for certification.
The letter further stated that the National Chief Imam had not visited the Savannah Region to present a certificate to anyone.
The clan said this position was difficult to reconcile with the certificate dated February 19, 2022, presented by Alhaji Amadu Musah as evidence of his induction into the position by the National Chief Imam.
It consequently questioned whether the certificate could be relied upon as evidence of the National Chief Imam’s endorsement of his claim.
Clan Raises Further Concerns
The Sakpare Clan also raised concerns about what it described as alleged inconsistencies in the observance of directives from the National Chief Imam concerning Eid prayers in Damongo on national holidays.
In its letter, the clan stated that it had separately written to the Yagbonwura seeking clarification on statements allegedly made by members of Alhaji Amadu Musah’s team in the presence of the Overlord, describing him as “Sharubutu’s preferred candidate” for the position.
The clan said the request for clarification remained outstanding.
It further questioned whether Alhaji Amadu Musah had consistently observed the National Chief Imam’s directives on the observance of Eid prayers on national holidays.
The letter stated;
“Until it is resolved and having regard to the further, separate concern that you have not consistently observed the National Chief Imam’s directives on the observance of Eid prayers on national holidays, we do not consider it safe to rely on your letter or certificate as evidence of the National Chief Imam’s endorsement of your candidacy.”
The clan, however, stressed that it was not making a definitive finding on the matters raised, but said they contributed to its concerns about relying on the certificate as evidence of the National Chief Imam’s endorsement.
Sakpare Clan Calls for Discontinuation of Title
In its concluding position, the clan said it “respectfully but firmly” declined to recognise Alhaji Amadu Musah as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam and called on him to discontinue the use of the title with immediate effect.
It reiterated that, according to established Gonja custom, the office of Savannah Regional Chief Imam is held by the duly appointed Yagbon Imam, who serves as the Supreme Imam of the Gonja State.
Copies of the letter were sent to the Minister responsible for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the National Chief Imam, the Savannah Regional Minister, the Registrar of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, the Gonjaland Youth Association and other stakeholders.
Divisional Imams Back Yagbon Imam
Meanwhile, divisional imams who are descendants of the founding Imam of the Gonja Kingdom, Fatu-Morukpe, also known as the Sakpares of Gonja, have rejected Alhaji Amadu Musah’s claim to the position of Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
The imams, drawn from the seven main divisions of Gonja, including Buipe, Kpembe, Bole, Tuluwe and the head of the Sakpare at the Wasipe Traditional Area, have maintained their recognition of Yagbon Imam Sheikh Alhaji Kassim Abdulai as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
Their position is based on what they describe as the traditional Islamic leadership structure of the Gonja Kingdom, which places the Yagbon Imam at the apex of Islamic leadership within the Kingdom.
They maintain that the arrangement is an established traditional institution rather than a newly created position, and that the regional leadership title should reflect that structure.
Earlier Petitions by Imams and Members of the Sakpare Clan of Gonja
The latest position of the Gonja Sakpare, or Kamagtey Clan, follows earlier petitions and declarations by members of the clan and imams from across the Gonja traditional areas affirming the Yagbon Imam as the recognised head of the Gonja Imamate and, by extension, the Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
It would be recalled that members of the Sakpare or Kamagtey Clan of the Gonja Kingdom, whom the clan describes as custodians of Islam and the Gonja Imamate, petitioned the King and Overlord of Gonja, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale (I), for the acclamation of Yagbon Imam Sheikh Alhaji Kassim Abdulai as the legitimate Chief Imam of the Savannah Region.
The petitioners said their position was based on what they described as established and undisputed Gonja customary practice governing the Islamic leadership of the Gonja Kingdom.
The petition followed a gathering of Gonja Sakpare Imams, Islamic clerics, academics and professionals in Buipe in the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region for prayers and a Gonja Sakpare Conference in May 2023.
According to the petitioners, the conference resolved that the Sakpare or Kamagtey Clan, as custodians of the Gonja Imamate, should formally seek recognition of Sheikh Kassim Abdulai, the Yagbon Imam, as the legitimate Chief Imam of the Savannah Region.
In a petition, Imams from the various divisions of the Gonja State appended their signatures and thumbprints to a letter affirming the Yagbon Imam of the Gonja State as the Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
The letter was subsequently presented to the Office of the National Chief Imam in Accra by a delegation of members of the Sakpare or Kamagtey Clan on July 26, 2023.
The delegation was led by Alhaji Sumaila Mahama Somawura.
Before presenting the letter, Alhaji Somawura explained that Gonja Sakpare imams, Islamic clerics, academics and professionals had convened in Buipe for a conference in May 2023.
He said the outcome of the conference was a decision by members of the Sakpare or Kamagtey Clan to petition both the King and Overlord of Gonja, Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale (I), and the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, for the acclamation of Sheikh Kassim Abdulai as the legitimate Chief Imam of the Savannah Region.
The delegation’s presentation to the National Chief Imam’s office was therefore intended to communicate what the Sakpare Clan described as the collective position of Imams from the various Gonja divisions.
The Sakpare position, as expressed in those earlier petitions, was that the office should follow the traditional Islamic leadership structure of the Gonja Kingdom, with the Yagbon Imam occupying the apex of the Gonja Imamate.
The latest development sets the stage for further engagement among the relevant traditional, religious and regional authorities over the recognition of the Savannah Regional Chief Imam.
Source: nkilgifm.com
