Alleged Bigotry: Supreme Council For Shari’ah Asks Tinubu To Review Amupitan’s Appointment

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) views with serious concern the recent revelations by Sahara Reporters alleging that Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had in 2020 authored a toxic legal  brief containing highly provocative, distorted, and bigoted assertions about the nature of conflicts in Northern Nigeria and maligning the historical legacy of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio’s jihad.

It is unfortunate and disturbing that an individual now entrusted with overseeing Nigeria’s democratic integrity could have espoused such bigotry in divisive, sectarian, and inaccurate narratives against a majority faith community. 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.

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The Council hereby wishes to clarify, and debunk the falsehood embedded in his so-called analysis of “Christian genocide” and his mischaracterization of Northern violence as an extension of the 19th-century Jihad led by Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio. Nothing could be further from the truth. If we set aside the mischievous emotive interpretation and examine the facts objectively, the reality is that the violence in Northern Nigeria is complex and multi-dimensional. Both Muslims and Christians have suffered immensely from violent extremists’ attacks, banditry, and communal conflicts rooted in accumulated neglect, poverty, and social injustice.

Available credible humanitarian data from independent and international sources incontrovertibly reveal that Muslims have suffered more casualties in these conflicts than any other group. This is a reality easily verifiable by mapping the epicentres of violence from Borno to Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Yobe, where the greater majority of the victims are Muslims living in these overwhelmingly Muslim-majority areas. It therefore defies logic and decorum for anyone to reduce these tragedies to a one-sided narrative of Christian persecution.

The attempt by Prof. Amupitan to link contemporary insecurity with the historic Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio is a malicious distortion of history and a deliberate misrepresentation of the legacy of one of West Africa’s most revered reformers. The Jihad of Sheikh Uthman was not a war of hatred or extermination but a spiritual, moral, and social reform movement that sought to restore justice, knowledge, and governance rooted in ethics. The noble legacy and instituted ideals are still admired across the African continent today.

In our considered opinion, presiding over Nigeria’s electoral system demands the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity. Prof. Amupitan has demonstrated, through the content of the document, a deep-seated prejudice that calls into serious question his capacity to conduct free and fair elections in a multi-religious, multi-ethnic nation. Such anti-Muslim sentiments are fundamentally inconsistent with the expectations and responsibilities of his office.

It is therefore both astonishing and troubling that an individual with such open bias and mischief could have successfully passed a security and background clearance process before ascending to such an exalted office. This suggests either a grave lapse in due diligence by the vetting agency or a reckless approval that undermines public trust in the integrity of the system.

Accordingly, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to critically review the appointment of Prof. Amupitan as INEC Chairman, to ensure the credibility of the nation’s electoral body. 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.

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 Council remains committed to peace, unity, and the pursuit of truth based on fairness and mutual respect.

Secretary General

Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN)

16th Jumada I 1447 AH/7th November 2025.