The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss the appointment of the newly inaugurated Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan.
Recall that Amupitan reportedly prepared a legal opinion for a major international report titled “Genocide in Nigeria: The Implications for the International Community.”
In the legal brief, Prof Amupitan allegedly described conflicts in Northern Nigeria as a continuation of the 19th-century Jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio and characterizing them as “Christian genocide.”
He went on to call for urgent intervention to stop what he termed “pogrom and attacks against the Christians and minority groups in Nigeria.”
The report surfaced after the US President Donald Trump had earlier designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern, further threatening military action against Nigeria.
The US President cited what he described as ongoing violence against Christians and failure of the government to protect religious minorities.
However, the Nigerian government strongly denied persecution of any religious groups in Nigeria.
Amupitan’s legal brief a bigoted assertions against Muslims – Shari’ah Council
In a statement issued on Friday, November 7, 2025, the Shari’ah council described Amupitan’s legal brief as “provocative, distorted and bigoted assertions” against Muslims in Northern Nigeria.
The SCSN said it received with “deep disappointment and grave concern” the SaharaReporters investigation alleging that Amupitan’s 2020 legal document characterised Northern violence as “Christian genocide” and linked the insecurity in the North to the 19th-century Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.
The Council said it found such a stance “regrettable and disturbing”, especially from someone “now entrusted with overseeing Nigeria’s democratic 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 described Amupitan’s reported claims as “divisive, sectarian, abusive, and factually inaccurate narratives against a majority faith community.”
It further “categorically debunked the falsehood” contained in his alleged analysis of “Christian genocide,” insisting that the violence ravaging Northern and North-Central Nigeria is multi-dimensional and not a one-sided religious persecution.
“If we strip away the mischievous emotional language and examine the facts objectively, the reality is that the violence in Northern and North-Central Nigeria is complex and multi-dimensional. Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely from extremist attacks, banditry, and communal conflicts rooted in accumulated neglect, poverty, and social injustice.”
Citing humanitarian data, the SCSN claimed that Muslims have suffered more casualties than any other group in the ongoing crises.
“Credible humanitarian data from independent and international sources reveal that Muslims have suffered more casualties in these conflicts than any other group. This is an incontrovertible reality easily verified by mapping the epicentres of violence from Borno to Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe, where over 90 percent of the victims are Muslims.”
The Council condemned what it called Amupitan’s attempt to associate modern insecurity with the historic jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio, describing it as “a malicious distortion of history and a deliberate insult.”
“The Jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a war of hatred or extermination; it was a spiritual, moral, and social reform movement that restored justice, knowledge, and governance rooted in ethics. These instituted ideals are still admired across the African continent today.”
The SCSN said Amupitan’s record and writings “call into serious question his ability to conduct free and fair elections in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic nation.”
“Presiding over Nigeria’s electoral system demands the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity. By his own words, Prof. Amupitan has demonstrated a deep-seated prejudice that calls into serious question his ability to conduct free and fair elections.”
The Council, therefore, demanded that President Tinubu “immediately review and reverse” Amupitan’s appointment, declaring 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 statement also appealed for calm among Nigerians across all religious divides, urging both Muslims and Christians to unite against common national threats.
“We urge all Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike, to reject narratives that seek to pit one faith against another. Our common enemies are injustice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity.”
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, in conclusion, reaffirmed its commitment to peace, unity, and the pursuit of truth based on fairness and mutual respect.
On October 8, 2025, President Tinubu swore in Professor Amupitan as the sixth chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Amupitan, 58, is from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, where he also studied.
He specialises in Company Law, Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law, and became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014.
