JUST IN: Shari’ah Council Urges Tinubu to Dismiss INEC Chairman Over Controversial ‘Genocide’ Brief

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately revoke the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following revelations about a 2020 legal brief he authored.

According to an investigation by SaharaReporters, Amupitan, who was recently inaugurated as INEC Chairman, wrote a document titled *“Legal Brief: Genocide in Nigeria – The Implications for the International Community.”* The brief, published by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON), described widespread attacks on Christians and minority groups as a “pogrom” and “genocide.” It was officially signed under his law firm, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) & Co., with offices in Jos and Abuja.

In a statement released Friday, November 7, 2025 (16th Jumada I 1447 AH), the SCSN expressed “deep disappointment and grave concern” over the findings, calling Amupitan’s document “provocative, distorted and bigoted.” The Council said it was disturbed that such remarks came from someone now responsible for safeguarding Nigeria’s electoral integrity.

“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 rejected what it described as “divisive and sectarian claims,” arguing that violence in Northern and North-Central Nigeria affects both Muslims and Christians and is rooted in socio-economic and political complexities rather than religion alone. It insisted that credible data shows Muslims have suffered more casualties in the ongoing crises.

The SCSN further condemned Amupitan’s alleged link between current insecurity and the 19th-century jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio, calling it “a malicious distortion of history.” It described the jihad as a “spiritual, moral, and social reform movement that restored justice and ethical governance.”

Questioning Amupitan’s neutrality, the Council said his past writings raise serious doubts about his capacity to conduct free and fair elections in a diverse nation like Nigeria. It demanded that President Tinubu immediately review and reverse the appointment, insisting that “the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process cannot be entrusted to someone whose record reveals open hostility toward one of the country’s largest faith communities.”

The SCSN also appealed for calm among Nigerians, urging unity across religious lines and warning against divisive narratives. “Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity,” the statement said, reaffirming the Council’s commitment to peace, fairness, and national cohesion.