BREAKING: Sharia Council Demands Immediate Removal Of INEC Chairman
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has intensified calls for the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, warning that Muslims across the country would neither recognise nor legitimise the 2027 general elections if they are conducted under his leadership.
The Council described Amupitan as a threat to the credibility and neutrality of Nigeria’s electoral process, citing what it termed serious concerns about his integrity and antecedents.
The warning was issued on Tuesday in Abuja during the SCSN’s 2026 Annual Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly, themed “Nigeria’s Future: Faith, Justice, and Leadership.”
Speaking at the gathering, President of the Council, Sheikh Bashir Umar, said the organisation’s position was not new but had become more urgent as the country moves closer to another general election. According to him, the INEC chairman’s past actions and public posture had raised red flags that could undermine public trust in the electoral system.
Umar specifically referenced a legal brief allegedly authored by Amupitan in which he sought to establish the existence of a Christian genocide in Nigeria — a claim the Federal Government has repeatedly dismissed as unfounded.
“This is not the first time the Council is taking this position,” Umar said. “In a legal brief he personally sent, he sought to establish the existence of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, a position that is directly at odds with the official stance of the Federal Government, which has categorically stated that no such genocide exists.”
He argued that such a position, coming from the head of Nigeria’s electoral umpire, amounted to divisive propaganda and cast serious doubt on Amupitan’s ability to act impartially in a country with deep religious and ethnic diversity.
“For an umpire in a democratic process, integrity and neutrality are non-negotiable,” Umar stated. “As far as we are concerned, his integrity has been compromised. The honourable thing is for him to resign. If he does not, the government should dismiss or retire him.”
The SCSN went further to warn that any election conducted under Amupitan’s supervision would lack legitimacy in the eyes of the Muslim community. Umar said the Council was concerned not just about the individual, but about the broader implications for national stability and democratic credibility.
“The Ummah will not recognise or legitimise any election presided over by a character with questionable integrity,” he declared. “Democratic credibility must never be compromised.”
When contacted for a response, a source at the Independent National Electoral Commission dismissed the Council’s claims, describing them as an attempt to court publicity. The source said the commission would not dignify the allegations with an official response.
Asked whether the Council planned to pursue legal action, Umar clarified that the SCSN was primarily an advocacy body and not directly involved in litigation. However, he noted that other concerned groups had already approached the courts to challenge Amupitan’s appointment and continued stay in office.
Beyond the controversy surrounding the INEC chairman, the Council used the occasion to voice broader concerns about the state of the nation. Umar listed worsening insecurity, economic hardship, poor implementation of national budgets, and what he described as imbalance in federal appointments as issues fueling frustration among Nigerians.
The Council also raised alarm over what it called attempts to undermine Muslims’ constitutional right to practise Shari’ah in Muslim-majority states, warning that such moves could deepen mistrust and weaken national cohesion.
In a strongly worded statement, the SCSN rejected narratives suggesting a Christian genocide in Nigeria, insisting that such claims were misleading and dangerous. According to the Council, unverified allegations of religious persecution risk inflaming tensions and undermining peaceful coexistence.
“Such narratives do not reflect the complex realities of Nigeria’s security challenges and only serve to divide the country further,” Umar said.
The event attracted prominent political and religious figures. Speaking at the lecture, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds, Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji, said the timing of the Pre-Ramadan gathering was significant given Nigeria’s current security and socio-political challenges.
Jaji cautioned that careless or unverified narratives, especially on sensitive religious issues, could worsen tensions if not handled responsibly. He urged leaders to promote dialogue, fairness and justice in addressing the country’s challenges.
The chairman of the occasion, the Madakin Zazzau, Mallam Muhammadu Munir Ja’afaru, described the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria as a principled voice for the Muslim Ummah. He said the Council had consistently promoted justice, peaceful coexistence and national unity through constructive engagement with government and other stakeholders.
As Nigeria inches closer to the 2027 general elections, the SCSN’s stance adds another layer of tension to an already charged political environment, raising questions about trust in public institutions and the delicate balance required to manage faith, politics and democracy in Africa’s most populous nation.
