SCSN, MURIC demand removal of INEC chairman Joash Amupitan

Groups warn that elections under Amupitan risk losing credibility, Peace Magazine learned.

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Two prominent Islamic organisations in Nigeria have renewed calls for the immediate removal of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, warning that his continued leadership could undermine public confidence in the country’s electoral process.

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) raised the issue during its 2026 Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly in Abuja, where its leaders said Muslims across the country would reject the legitimacy of any election conducted under Amupitan’s leadership.

Peace Magazine learned that the renewed call is linked to concerns over a legal brief authored by Amupitan, which Islamic groups say casts doubt on his neutrality as Nigeria prepares for future elections.

Speaking at the gathering, SCSN President Sheikh Bashir Umar said the council’s position was informed by what he described as Amupitan’s “questionable antecedents,” particularly a legal brief in which the INEC chairman reportedly alleged that Christians were facing genocide in Nigeria.

Umar said such claims contradict the Federal Government’s long-standing position that no genocide is taking place in the country and warned that narratives framed along religious lines risk deepening divisions in an already fragile national environment.

The lecture, themed “Nigeria’s Future: Faith, Justice, and Leadership,” also drew comments from political and traditional leaders. Aminu Sani Jaji, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds, said the timing of the discussion was significant given Nigeria’s security and socio-political challenges.

Jaji said Ramadan offered an opportunity for reflection and restraint, cautioning that unverified allegations, particularly those tied to religion could further weaken national cohesion.

Also speaking, the Madakin Zazzau, Muhammadu Munir Ja’afaru, described the Shari’ah Council as a consistent and principled voice within Nigeria’s Muslim community since its establishment.

In a separate statement issued the same day, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) aligned itself with the Shari’ah Council’s position, repeating its demand that Amupitan be removed from office before the 2027 general elections.

The statement, signed by the chairman of MURIC’s Kano State chapter, Hassan Sani Indabawa, said Amupitan’s past public positions showed a lack of impartiality incompatible with the role of an electoral umpire.

MURIC said it had previously called for Amupitan’s removal in November 2025, citing an 80-page legal brief he authored in 2020 that described attacks by Boko Haram and armed groups as a coordinated campaign against Christians.

The organisation said the brief portrayed the violence as religiously motivated and accused Nigerian authorities of deliberately avoiding the term “genocide” to evade international scrutiny, claims the Federal Government has repeatedly rejected.

MURIC also referenced concerns raised by other groups, including the Da’wah Coordination Council of Nigeria and the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners, over what they described as a potential conflict of interest stemming from Amupitan’s reported involvement with the ruling party’s legal team during the 2023 presidential election petition.

The group said allowing Amupitan to oversee future elections would erode trust in the electoral system and called on the Federal Government to act in the interest of national unity and democratic stability.

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