The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called for the immediate removal and prosecution of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, citing what it described as compromised integrity and alleged religious bias.
The call was made on Wednesday by the President of the Council, Dr Bashir Aliyu Umar, during his welcome address at the opening of the SCSN’s 2026 pre-Ramadan lecture and general assembly in Abuja.
Dr Umar said no election conducted under the leadership of a compromised INEC chairman could be considered credible. He linked the demand for Amupitan’s removal to a legal brief allegedly authored by the INEC chairman in which claims of a “Christian genocide” were made—an allegation the Federal Government has officially denied.
According to Umar, Amupitan’s position contradicts Nigeria’s official stance and places him in direct conflict with the neutrality required of an electoral umpire.
“We demand the immediate removal and prosecution of the INEC chairman and declare that no election conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity can be recognised as credible,” Umar said.
He added that the INEC boss should either resign or be removed from office, insisting that the country needs an electoral referee whose integrity is not in doubt.
The Council also rejected government policies it said imposed unjust hardship on Nigerians, including the proposed tax reforms. Umar said fiscal policies must be equitable, humane, and socially responsible.
He further alleged that some agents of the executive arm altered tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly and called on the legislature to conduct a public hearing and a forensic review of all laws passed since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.
On security, Umar said the SCSN condemned terrorism in all its forms and urged the government to fulfil its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and ensure peace through security action and reconciliation.
He also rejected what he described as false and inflammatory narratives of a Christian genocide, warning that such claims fuel division and national instability. The Council, he added, opposed foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, including the establishment of foreign military bases.
Umar reaffirmed that the religious freedom of Muslims in Nigeria is constitutionally guaranteed and non-negotiable.
Also speaking, the Madakin Zazzau, Mallam Muhammadu Munir Ja’afaru, said the Shari’ah Council had remained a principled voice for the Nigerian Muslim community, engaging government and society on issues of justice, unity, and national development.
