Shari’ah Council urges Tinubu to immediately sack INEC chairman, gives reason

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately withdraw the appointment of the newly inaugurated Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan.

The demand came on Saturday following  a report that disclosed Professor Amupitan had authored a 2020 legal brief describing attacks in parts of Nigeria as “genocide against Christians and minority groups.”

According to the report, the document titled “Legal Brief: Genocide in Nigeria – The Implications for the International Community” was released by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON), a global human rights advocacy group. It was officially signed by Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) & Co., Legal Practitioners & Corporate Consultants, with offices in Jos and Abuja.

The SCSN, in a statement issued on Friday, November 7, 2025 (16th Jumada I 1447 AH), expressed “deep disappointment and grave concern” over the revelations, describing Amupitan’s 2020 brief as “provocative, distorted and bigoted assertions” against Muslims in Northern Nigeria.

The council said it found the content of the document “regrettable and disturbing,” particularly given Amupitan’s current position as the head of Nigeria’s electoral body.

“If indeed Prof. Amupitan authored the said document, his submissions are not only unbecoming of a person of learning but dangerously inimical to the unity, peace, and stability of our country,” the statement read.

It further criticised the alleged claims made in the brief as “divisive, sectarian, abusive, and factually inaccurate narratives against a majority faith community.”

The council also rejected the document’s characterisation of the Northern crisis as “Christian genocide,” saying the conflicts are “complex and multi-dimensional.

“If we strip away the mischievous emotional language and examine the facts objectively, the reality is that the violence in Northern and North-Central Nigeria is complex and multi-dimensional. Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely from extremist attacks, banditry, and communal conflicts rooted in accumulated neglect, poverty, and social injustice,” it stated.

Citing humanitarian data, the SCSN maintained that Muslims have recorded more casualties than any other group.

“Credible humanitarian data from independent and international sources reveal that Muslims have suffered more casualties in these conflicts than any other group. This is an incontrovertible reality easily verified by mapping the epicentres of violence from Borno to Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe, where over 90 percent of the victims are Muslims,” the group said.

The SCSN also faulted the attempt to link the insecurity in the North to the 19th-century jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio, describing such references as “a malicious distortion of history and a deliberate insult.”

“The Jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a war of hatred or extermination; it was a spiritual, moral, and social reform movement that restored justice, knowledge, and governance rooted in ethics. These instituted ideals are still admired across the African continent today.”

The council argued that Amupitan’s views raise questions about his neutrality in overseeing national elections.

“Presiding over Nigeria’s electoral system demands the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity. By his own words, Prof. Amupitan has demonstrated a deep-seated prejudice that calls into serious question his ability to conduct free and fair elections.”

Consequently, the SCSN urged President Tinubu to “immediately review and reverse” the appointment, insisting that “the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process cannot be entrusted to someone whose record reveals open hostility toward one of the country’s largest faith communities.”

It further appealed to Nigerians across religious divides to maintain peace and unity.

“We urge all Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike, to reject narratives that seek to pit one faith against another. Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity.”

The council reaffirmed its commitment to promoting peace, unity, and fairness in the country.

(SAHARAREPORTERS)