The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has clarified that its call for the removal and prosecution of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, is not driven by religious motives but by concerns over national unity, constitutional responsibility and institutional credibility.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the Council’s Secretary General, Nafiu Baba Ahmad, following public reactions to a communiqué released after its Annual Pre-Ramadan Conference and General Assembly held on January 28, 2026.
According to the Council, its position had been “grossly misconstrued” as religiously motivated. It insisted that its concerns relate to national cohesion, constitutionalism and what it described as troubling antecedents linked to the INEC chairman.
The SCSN noted that religion has never been a basis for opposition to Nigeria’s electoral leadership, pointing out that most past heads of electoral bodies, including INEC, were Christians and served without controversy. Of the 13 chairmen who have led electoral institutions since independence, only two were Muslims, it added.
The Council said its concerns stem from a legal brief reportedly authored by Prof. Amupitan in 2020, which it described as containing provocative and prejudicial claims against Nigerian Muslims, Northern Nigeria and the historic Sokoto Caliphate.
It highlighted references in the document to an alleged “Christian genocide” and attempts to link current insecurity in Northern Nigeria to the 19th-century jihad of Sheikh Uthman bin Fodio, describing such claims as historically inaccurate and potentially destabilising.
The Council also expressed concern that the claims were allegedly presented to foreign actors, portraying Nigeria as a site of religious extermination and prompting what it said were avoidable diplomatic and financial consequences for the country.
According to the SCSN, available humanitarian data show that insecurity in Northern Nigeria is driven by a complex mix of terrorism, banditry, poverty and governance failures, with both Muslims and Christians affected, and Muslims accounting for a large share of casualties in many areas.
Reiterating its stance, the Council said its call for Prof. Amupitan’s removal is based solely on issues of conduct, character and credibility, not religion, and appealed for calm while urging adherence to constitutional and legal processes.
