The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse the appointment of Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that his past writings expose deep-seated bias against Muslims.
The demand follows an report that Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, purportedly authored in 2020 titled “Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter” under the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON).
The document reportedly described violence in northern Nigeria as “Christian genocide” and linked the region’s insecurity to the 19th-century jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
In a statement dated Friday, November 7, 2025 (16th Jumada I 1447 AH), the Shari’ah Council said it received with “deep disappointment and grave concern” the revelations in the report, which it described as “divisive, sectarian, and factually inaccurate narratives against a majority faith community.”
“He Lacks the Neutrality to Run Elections” — Council Insists
The council stated that if Amupitan indeed authored the controversial brief, then his comments were “unbecoming of a person of learning and dangerously inimical to Nigeria’s unity and peace.”
It argued that Nigeria’s security challenges cannot be reduced to religious persecution, stressing that the conflicts in northern and north-central Nigeria stem from banditry, poverty, extremism, and social injustice.
“The reality is that the violence in Northern and North-Central Nigeria is complex and multi-dimensional. Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely,” the group said. “Credible humanitarian data shows that over 90 percent of the victims are Muslims.”
The SCSN also criticised what it called Amupitan’s “distortion of historical facts” regarding the jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
“The jihad was not a war of hatred or extermination,” it explained. “It was a movement for moral and social reform whose ideals are still admired across Africa.”
The council maintained that such documented prejudice disqualifies Amupitan from leading a national institution as sensitive as INEC.
“Presiding over Nigeria’s electoral system demands the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity. By his own words, Prof. Amupitan has demonstrated deep-seated prejudice,” the statement read.
The group, therefore, urged President Tinubu to “immediately review and reverse the appointment,” warning 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.”
Despite its strong opposition, the SCSN appealed for restraint and dialogue, urging Nigerians across faiths to avoid further inflaming tensions.
“We urge all Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike, to reject narratives that seek to pit one faith against another,” it said. “Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity.”
The Supreme Council reaffirmed its commitment to promoting peace, unity, and justice grounded in mutual respect and fairness.
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