‘Amupitan must go’, says MURIC in renewed call for INEC Chairman’s sack
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The organisation said its position aligns with that of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), which made a similar demand on January 28, 2026, during its 2026 Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly held in Abuja.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has reiterated its demand for the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, citing concerns over alleged bias and lack of neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The call was made in a statement issued on Thursday by the Chairman of MURIC’s Kano State chapter, Malam Hassan Sani Indabawa. The organisation said its position aligns with that of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), which made a similar demand on January 28, 2026, during its 2026 Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly held in Abuja.
According to MURIC, the SCSN warned that Muslims across the country would not recognise or accept the legitimacy of elections conducted under Professor Amupitan’s leadership.
“MURIC hereby aligns itself with the SCSN. It is a noble, consistent, justifiable and objective position,” the statement said.
The organisation recalled that it had previously called for Amupitan’s removal in separate press statements dated November 10 and November 24, 2025. Those calls followed the circulation of an 80-page legal brief authored by Amupitan in 2020 and submitted to authorities in the United States.
The legal brief, titled “Legal Brief: Genocide in Nigeria: The Implications for the International Community,” was commissioned by the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON) and the International Organisation on Peace-building & Social Justice (PSJ). The document was later referenced in the Religious Freedom in the World 2025 report.
In the brief, Amupitan reportedly argued that attacks by Boko Haram and armed groups described as “Fulani herdsmen” amounted to a coordinated anti-Christian campaign, and that crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide were being committed in Nigeria. He also accused Nigerian authorities of failing in their constitutional duty to protect citizens and of avoiding the use of the term “genocide” to escape international scrutiny.
MURIC described the positions expressed in the document as divisive and said they were inconsistent with the Federal Government’s repeated rejection of allegations of genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
The organisation also referenced concerns earlier raised by the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP), which alleged that Amupitan was part of the legal team for the ruling party during the 2023 presidential election petition, describing this as a potential conflict of interest.
“Our position is that the demand for Amupitan’s immediate removal, resignation, or prosecution is necessary to protect the credibility of the 2027 general elections,” the statement said.
MURIC warned that allowing Professor Amupitan to oversee future elections could undermine public confidence in the electoral process, alleging that his past actions and public positions had compromised his integrity and neutrality.
The group concluded by calling on the Federal Government to act swiftly, citing what it described as “glaring partisanship” and “open resentment against Nigerian Muslims.”
