Shari’ah council demands immediate sack of INEC chair Amupitan over ‘genocide brief’

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has reportedly urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately remove the newly inaugurated Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, following allegations that he authored a controversial legal brief describing violence in the North as “genocide against Christians.”

The call comes after online reports allegedly  uncovered a 2020 document titled “Legal Brief: Genocide in Nigeria – The Implications for the International Community,” which was published by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) and reportedly signed under Amupitan’s law firm in Jos and Abuja.

In the brief, Amupitan allegedly argued that Christians and minority groups in Northern Nigeria were victims of systematic killings. The Shari’ah council, however, described the document as “provocative, distorted, sectarian and deeply offensive.”

In a statement issued Friday, the council expressed “grave concern” that a person “who once pushed such divisive narratives” is now entrusted with safeguarding the country’s democratic process.

“It is profoundly troubling that the head of our national electoral umpire previously endorsed claims that misrepresent the reality of insecurity in the North,” the council said. “These assertions are unbecoming of a scholar and dangerous for a nation struggling for unity.”

The council insisted that insecurity in the North is not a religious genocide, but a complex crisis driven by poverty, criminal networks, and long-term governance failures – affecting both Muslims and Christians.

It also argued that available humanitarian data shows Muslims constitute the majority of victims in states hit hardest by insurgency, banditry, and communal violence.

The SCSN further accused Amupitan of distorting history by linking present-day violence to the 19th-century jihad of Sheikh Uthman dan Fodio, describing such claims as “malicious and ignorant.”

According to the council, Amupitan’s documented views “raise serious doubt” about his ability to conduct elections with neutrality in a multi-religious society.

It therefore demanded that Tinubu “urgently review and reverse” the appointment to preserve public confidence in the electoral system.

The council urged Nigerians of all faiths to resist narratives that fuel discord, stressing that “the true enemies of the nation are injustice, poverty, corruption and insecurity,” not religious communities.

The Shari’ah council reaffirmed its commitment to peace and unity, calling for responsible leadership at all levels to prevent further national division.