MURIC demands reinstatement of Pantami as Gombe PDP governorship candidate, insists on Amupitan’s removal as INEC Chairman
By KEMI KASUMU
In its concluding remarks, the organisation reiterated that the omission was, in its view, unjustifiable and called for urgent corrective action to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has demanded for the immediate reinstatement of Professor Isa Ali Pantami as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Gombe State, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of unjustly omitting his name from the list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The Islamic human rights organisation also passed a vote of no confidence in INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint his replacement, alleging that the Commission’s handling of Pantami’s candidacy raises concerns about religious bias.
MURIC Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, made the demands on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, during a press conference at the organisation’s headquarters in Lagos.
Akintola said the omission of Pantami’s name had raised questions about the credibility and fairness of the electoral process, under Amupitan, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“No election can be credible when candidates are being disallowed from contesting for no just cause,” he said.
The MURIC ED stressed that the organisation was not affiliated with any political party, describing it as a non-partisan Islamic human rights group committed to protecting the fundamental rights of Nigerian Muslims.
He explained that MURIC’s interest in the political process was not determined by party affiliation but by the treatment of Muslim candidates and voters.
Pantami’s emergence as PDP candidate
Providing a background to the controversy, Akintola said Pantami was the only PDP governorship aspirant in Gombe State as of May 2026 and emerged through a voice vote on May 26.
He explained that the initial primary was subsequently nullified by a Federal High Court, necessitating a fresh exercise on September 29, 2026.
According to him, Pantami won the fresh primary by a wide margin, securing 2,054 votes against Khamisu Mailantarki’s 389 votes and Aliyu Garry’s 112 votes.
Akintola further stated that INEC monitored the primary, with its team led by Gambo Umar Arabi, who signed and submitted an official report on the exercise.
He questioned why the electoral commission would omit Pantami’s name after monitoring the process that produced him as the party’s candidate.
“So what is INEC now telling us? On what ground is INEC disowning a process it was part of?” he asked.
The MURIC chief maintained that the conduct of the fresh primary following the court ruling should have settled the issue of Pantami’s emergence as the PDP candidate.
He described INEC’s decision to omit the former Communications and Digital Economy Minister’s name as unlawful and an affront to the judicial process.
MURIC accuses INEC chairman of religious bias
Akintola linked the controversy to allegations surrounding Amupitan’s alleged involvement in an 80-page legal brief concerning claims of Christian genocide and persecution in Nigeria, which MURIC said was submitted to the United States of America.
The organisation alleged that the document contributed to the negative portrayal of Nigeria internationally and argued that the controversy raised questions about the INEC chairman’s suitability to oversee elections in a religiously diverse country.
MURIC also recalled its opposition to Amupitan’s appointment, claiming that the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria had similarly expressed reservations about his leadership of the electoral commission.
According to Akintola, the omission of Pantami’s name had reinforced the concerns previously raised by the two organisations.
“We are not safe in the hands of INEC under Amupitan,” he declared, arguing that the handling of the PDP candidate’s nomination had heightened fears of possible discrimination against Muslim candidates and voters.
The allegations, however, were presented as MURIC’s position at the press conference and were not independently established in the statement.
Alleges plot against Muslim candidates
The organisation further alleged that Amupitan was pursuing an agenda to exclude Islamic scholars from the 2027 electoral contest, particularly those seeking higher political offices, whereas he has no problem with Christian clerics candidates being on the list.
Akintola described Pantami as a possible target of what he characterised as religious profiling, accusing Amupitan of depriving conscious Muslims from rising to top political office, and challenged the INEC chairman to explain why the former minister’s name had been omitted from the list.
MURIC also cited Christian clerics who currently serve as governors in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Benue and Taraba states, arguing that Muslim scholars should enjoy the same opportunity to seek elective office.
It named Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Bassey Otu of Cross River, Hyacinth Alia of Benue and Agbu Kefas of Taraba in making its argument.
Akintola accused the INEC leadership of applying what he described as a double standard to religious figures seeking political office.
He said the organisation considered the treatment of Pantami a serious test of electoral fairness and religious neutrality.
Calls on Tinubu to replace Amupitan
MURIC called on President Tinubu to replace Amupitan with a person it described as impartial, detribalised and free from religious prejudice.
The organisation argued that no individual was indispensable to Nigeria’s democratic institutions and that the country had sufficient qualified people to lead the electoral commission.
“Amupitan is not sine qua non. No Nigerian is indispensable at any point in time,” Akintola said.
He insisted that the INEC chairman’s continued leadership had become a source of concern for the organisation, particularly as preparations for the 2027 general elections gathered momentum.
MURIC also demanded that INEC immediately restore Pantami’s name to the list of PDP governorship candidates in Gombe State.
In its concluding remarks, the organisation reiterated that the omission was, in its view, unjustifiable and called for urgent corrective action to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The press conference was held under MURIC’s motto, “Dialogue, Not Violence,” as the organisation renewed its demand for what it described as fairness, equal political opportunities and protection of the rights of Muslim candidates.
The allegations against INEC and its chairman, including claims of religious bias and deliberate interference with Pantami’s candidacy, were made by MURIC and neither INEC nor Professor Amupitan had responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
