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 previously authored a divisive and anti-Muslim legal paper.
In a statement issued by its Secretary General, Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, the Council said it was “deeply disturbed” by a recent Sahara Reporters publication claiming that Prof. Amupitan, in a 2020 legal essay, made “provocative and bigoted remarks” about religious conflicts in Northern Nigeria and the historic Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
The SCSN described the alleged comments as “toxic, misleading, and unbecoming of a person now entrusted with protecting the credibility of Nigeria’s democracy.”
“If indeed Prof. Amupitan authored such a document, his views are dangerously hostile to the unity, peace, and stability of our country,”
the statement read.
The Council faulted the alleged paper for portraying violence in northern Nigeria as a “Christian genocide” while linking insecurity to the 19th-century jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
According to the SCSN, such a depiction “grossly misrepresents history” and “maliciously distorts the legacy of one of West Africa’s most respected reform movements.”
“The jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a campaign of hatred or extermination,”
the Council clarified.
“It was a spiritual and moral reform aimed at restoring justice, learning, and ethical governance.”
The statement added that Prof. Amupitan’s alleged arguments ignored the reality that both Muslims and Christians have been victims of violence in the North, driven largely by poverty, injustice, and government neglect, rather than religion.
“From Borno to Zamfara, Katsina, and Yobe, the majority of those killed in these conflicts have been Muslims,” the Council noted.
“Reducing these tragedies to a one-sided narrative of Christian persecution is both false and inflammatory.”
The SCSN expressed concern over how someone allegedly holding “deep-seated prejudice” could have passed Nigeria’s security vetting process to head a national institution as sensitive as INEC.
“It is troubling that an individual with such apparent bias could be approved for such a critical position,” the Council said.
“This points to either a serious failure in due diligence or a reckless disregard for public confidence in the electoral process.”
The group urged President Tinubu to review the appointment, stressing that the leadership of INEC requires “the highest levels of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity.”
It warned that any perception of bias at the helm of the electoral body could undermine public trust and cast doubt on the credibility of future elections.
The Council, however, cautioned Nigerians against allowing the controversy to fuel religious tension.
“Our real enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity,” the SCSN said.
“We must not let divisive narratives derail our collective pursuit of peace, unity, and truth founded on fairness and mutual respect.”
