Shari’ah Council Urges Tinubu to Review INEC Appointment Over Alleged Anti-Muslim Paper
- The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria has urged President Tinubu to reconsider the appointment of INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan over alleged anti-Muslim remarks
- The Council expressed alarm over a 2020 legal paper reportedly authored by Amupitan, describing it as divisive and historically distorted
- Concerns have been raised about the impact of perceived bias on Nigeria’s electoral integrity and national unity
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following allegations that he authored a controversial legal paper deemed divisive and anti-Muslim.
In a statement signed by its Secretary General, Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, the Council expressed “deep concern” over a recent report by some media outlets.
Source: Twitter
The publication claimed that Prof. Amupitan, in a 2020 legal brief, made “provocative, distorted and bigoted assertions” about conflicts in Northern Nigeria and the historical legacy of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio’s jihad.
Allegations of historical distortion and religious bias
The SCSN described the alleged content of the paper as “toxic” and “unbecoming” of someone tasked with overseeing Nigeria’s democratic process. “If indeed Prof. Amupitan authored the said document, his submissions are dangerously inimical to the unity, peace, and stability of our country,” the statement read.
According to the Council, the paper wrongly portrayed violence in northern Nigeria as “Christian genocide” and attempted to link current insecurity to the 19th-century jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio. The SCSN condemned this as “a malicious distortion of history and a deliberate misrepresentation of one of West Africa’s most revered reform movements.”
“The Jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a war of hatred or extermination but a spiritual, moral, and social reform movement that sought to restore justice, knowledge, and governance rooted in ethics,” the Council explained.
Concerns over electoral integrity and public trust
The Council further argued that Prof. Amupitan’s alleged analysis gave a misleading impression of religious persecution in the region, failing to acknowledge that Muslims have also suffered greatly from violence. “Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely from extremist attacks, banditry, and communal clashes rooted in neglect, poverty, and injustice,” the statement added.
It noted that the majority of victims in affected states such as Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, and Yobe were Muslims. “It therefore defies logic and decorum for anyone to reduce these tragedies to a one-sided narrative of Christian persecution,” the Council stated.
The SCSN questioned how someone allegedly holding such “deep-seated prejudice” could have passed Nigeria’s security clearance process to lead a sensitive institution like INEC.
“It is astonishing and troubling that an individual with such open bias could have been approved for such an exalted office,” the statement said. “This suggests either a grave lapse in due diligence or reckless approval that undermines public trust in the electoral system.”
Call for neutrality and national unity
The Council urged President Tinubu to review the appointment, stressing that overseeing Nigeria’s elections requires “the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity.”
It warned that perceived bias at the helm of INEC could damage public confidence in future elections.
In its closing remarks, the SCSN appealed to Nigerians to resist religious division.
“Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity,” it said. “We remain committed to peace, unity, and the pursuit of truth based on fairness and mutual respect.”
Joash Amupitan: 10 facts about new INEC chairman
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), according to a statement released by the Presidency.
The announcement was made by Bayo Onanuga, Presidential spokesman, who confirmed that the National Council of State had approved Amupitan’s nomination. “The National Council of State has approved Amupitan’s nomination,” Onanuga stated.
Source: Legit.ng
