…Warns against ‘compromised’ elections
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), Professor Joash Amupitan, warning that Muslims across the country will not recognise any election conducted under his leadership.
The Islamic organisation also rejected the Federal Government’s controversial tax reform and other policies, which it said could impose unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
The position of the Council was made public during its 2026 Annual Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly held in Abuja on Tuesday and yesterday with Islamic scholars and delegates from across the country in attendance. The event was themed: ‘Nigeria’s Future: Faith, Justice and Leadership’.
Delivering the welcome address, President of the Council, Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar, said the continued stay of Professor Amupitan as INEC chairman posed a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process. According to him, no election conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity can be regarded as credible.
Umar hinged the Council’s demand on a legal brief allegedly authored by the INEC chairman in which he claimed the existence of a Christian genocide in Nigeria – an allegation the Federal Government has since categorically dismissed. He said: “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”.
He added that Amupitan’s position on the alleged Christian genocide put him in direct conflict with Nigeria’s official stance and clearly demonstrated religious bias. “We need someone whose integrity is not compromised. Because of the compromise of his integrity, we feel that the honourable thing for him to do is to resign. If not, the government should dismiss him or at least compulsorily retire him from service”, Umar stated.
Reiterating the Council’s stance, Umar said Muslims across Nigeria would neither recognise nor legitimise any election overseen by an INEC chairman whose neutrality and integrity were in doubt. On fiscal policies, the SCSN firmly opposed any tax reform that imposes unjust hardship on citizens, insisting that all government policies must be equitable, humane and socially responsible.
The Council also raised concerns over what it described as unconstitutional alterations of tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly, allegedly carried out by some agents of the executive arm of government.
Umar called on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing and a comprehensive forensic review of the tax laws and other legislation passed since the inception of the 10th Assembly.
The Council further condemned all forms of terrorism, and urged the Federal Government to fulfil its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and ensuring peace across the country. Umar also rejected what he described as “premeditated false and inflammatory propaganda” around the Christian genocide narrative, warning that such discourse fuels division, mistrust and national instability.
In addition, the SCSN opposed foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, including the establishment of any foreign military base in the country, while affirming that the religious freedom of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah remains constitutionally guaranteed and non-negotiable.
Also speaking at the event, the Madakin Zazzau, Mallam Muhammadu Munir Ja’afaru, described the Shari’ah Council as a principled and courageous voice of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah, noting that it has consistently promoted justice, peaceful coexistence and national unity. According to him, the Council has distinguished itself through strategic engagement, defence of constitutional rights and constructive dialogue with the Government on critical national issues.
