Supreme Shari’ah Council Urges Tinubu to Review INEC Boss Appointment
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review the recent appointment of Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following allegations that the new electoral chief authored a “divisive and bigoted” document in 2020.
In a statement issued on Saturday, November 8, 2025, and signed by its Secretary General, the Council expressed deep concern over reports published by Sahara Reporters alleging that Prof. Amupitan had written a controversial legal brief describing conflicts in Northern Nigeria as a continuation of the 19th-century Jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio and characterizing them as “Christian genocide.”
The SCSN described the alleged content of the brief as “toxic, distorted, and provocative,” warning that such a publication from someone now entrusted with safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic integrity could jeopardize national unity.
“If indeed Prof. Amupitan authored the said document, his submissions are not only unbecoming of a person of learning but dangerously inimical to the unity, peace, and stability of our country,” the statement read.
The Council dismissed the assertions attributed to the INEC boss, saying they misrepresent both historical and contemporary realities in the region. It argued that the violence in Northern Nigeria is “complex and multi-dimensional,” affecting both Muslims and Christians, and driven by poverty, injustice, and years of neglect rather than religious ideology.
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Citing humanitarian data, the Council noted that Muslims have borne the greater brunt of insecurity in states such as Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe, which are predominantly Muslim-majority areas.
“It therefore defies logic and decorum for anyone to reduce these tragedies to a one-sided narrative of Christian persecution,” the Council added.
The SCSN also faulted Prof. Amupitan’s alleged attempt to link the contemporary insecurity to the historic Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio, describing it as a “malicious distortion of history.”
“The Jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a war of hatred or extermination but a spiritual and moral reform movement that sought to restore justice and good governance,” the statement clarified.
According to the Council, the INEC Chair’s purported views raise doubts about his impartiality in overseeing elections in a multi-religious nation like Nigeria. It described his alleged writings as “anti-Muslim sentiments” inconsistent with the neutrality required of his position.
“It is both astonishing and troubling that an individual with such open bias and mischief could have successfully passed a security and background clearance process before ascending to such an exalted office,” the SCSN said.
The Council therefore urged President Tinubu to revisit the appointment to safeguard the credibility and public confidence in INEC.
Concluding, the SCSN appealed to Nigerians of all faiths to reject divisive narratives and remain united against common national challenges such as corruption, insecurity, and poverty.
“Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity. The Council remains committed to peace, unity, and the pursuit of truth based on fairness and mutual respect,” it said.
By PRNigeria
