Why We Insist On INEC Chairman’s Removal, Prosecution – Shari’ah Council
INEC Chairman, Prof. Amupitan
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) says its demand for the removal and prosecution of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, is not based on religious consideration.
The Shari’ah Council said its demand is to ensure national unity, protect institutional integrity and the Nigerian constitution.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by its Secretary-General, Malam Nafi’u Baba-Ahmad, the council said the clarification became necessary because its position has been “misconstrued and taken out of context” by some individuals and organisations.
It emphasised that Prof. Amupitan’s antecedents and public positions on the security situation in Northern Nigeria were not only false, but could undermine the neutrality expected of the head of Nigeria’s electoral body.
The council reminded those trying to fault its position that religion has never been a determining factor in the acceptance or rejection of electoral body leadership in Nigeria, as 11 out of the 13 chairmen who led Nigeria’s electoral body, were Christians.
The SCSN said its concern was on the gross misinformation contained in the legal brief authored by Prof. Amupitan in 2020, which contained prejudicial assertions against Nigerian Muslims, the historical Sokoto Caliphate, and Northern Nigeria.
It added that anyone with such unapologetic bias as contained in the brief by Prof. Amupitan, has disqualified him to lead a national institution such as INEC.
The council particularly faulted historically false and potentially destabilising claims by Prof. Amupitan of “Christian genocide” and linking the present-day insecurity in Northern Nigeria to the 19th-century jihad led by Sheikh Uthman dan Fodio.
It said that the presentation of such false claims to foreign actors has portrayed Nigeria negatively, even though Prof Amupitan knew pretty well that the violence in Northern Nigeria is multi-dimensional, driven by terrorism, banditry, criminality, poverty, governance challenges, and social injustice, which affects more Muslims than Christians in several states.
The SCSN said that Prof. Amupitan’s failure to deny authorship of the document nor issue any apology or retraction, shows he lacks the highest level of impartiality, credibility, and public trust required to lead INEC.
It noted that the misinformation spread by people like Prof. Amupitan has caused reputational damage to Nigeria and made the Federal Government to counter the claims at diplomatic levels with huge financial cost to the nation.
According to the statement, the council believes that such development warrant constitutional and legal action, not compensation.
The SCSN reiterated that it has never opposed Christians occupying public offices, and would support competent and fair leadership regardless of religious affiliation.
The council called on the Nigerian Christian community to avoid being influenced by what it described as divisive narratives, while reaffirming the commitment of the Muslim community to peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and the protection of the rights of all Nigerians.
