He is to lead the congregation with effect from Friday, April 8.

Khalid was sacked hours ago by the mosque’s Steering Committee for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari over last Monday night’s attack on an Abuja-Kaduna train.

During his sermon, he flayed the government over its failure to tame the escalating insecurity and killings in the country.

He however described the termination of his appointment by the mosque’s management committee as a necessary price he had to pay for identifying with the suffering masses and speaking truth to power.

Khalid said: “By the Grace of Almighty Allah, I will be leading my new congregation this Friday, because as clerics we need a platform to operate.

“There’s a Jum’mat mosque we built behind the CBN Quarters, in Abuja; I will now be leading the congregation there.”