The right to organise Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca could ruin this year’s rituals, as the National Hajj Council takes on the office of the Chief Imam over its organisation. A statement from the National Chief Imam’s office, signed by Sheikh Yumusah Osman Mohammed, said a proper mechanism is being put in place to have the forthcoming Hajj trouble-free. A seven-member committee under the chairmanship of Alhaji Limuna Mohammed Muniru has therefore been instituted to ensure a smooth Hajj. However, the National Hajj Council is challenging the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharabutu’s outfit over the organisation of this year’s Hajj. The Council said it does not recognize the Chief Imam’s committee and has therefore warned prospective pilgrims against dealing with it. It has also threatened to take legal action against the Chief Imam, if he fails to dissolve the committee. Mohammed Frimpong, Spokesperson of the Hajj Council told Joy News on Friday, it does not regard the Chief Imam's committee because it actions could even worsen issues. “We are endangering Hajj, and that is what we are worried about. “It is an exercise that belongs to the entire nation and we are saying the development that the Chief Imam should inaugurate another body when they have not fully accounted for their stewardship last year, is indeed very unfortunate and every Ghanaian in our full sense of probity and accountability must indeed be dismayed.” The organisation of Hajj in recent times has been marked by serious managerial problems, resulting in pilgrims being stranded for days both in Accra and Saudi Arabia. Last year for instance, some 2,700 Ghanaian pilgrims who performed Hajj went to Saudi Arabia after the closure of the Jeddah Airport due to the delay in the arrival of their flights. Hajj, the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah. Story by Isaac Essel