SCSN CALLS FOR REMOVAL, PROSECUTION OF INEC CHAIR, REJECTS POLICIES THAT IMPOSE HARDSHIP ON NIGERIANS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
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, insisting that no election conducted under what it described as compromised integrity can be considered credible.
The Islamic organisation also rejected government policies, including the controversial tax reform, which it said impose unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
The positions were outlined in a welcome address delivered by the President of the Council, Dr Bashir Aliyu Umar, at the opening ceremony of the SCSN 2026 annual pre-Ramadan lecture and general assembly in Abuja. The event, themed “Nigeria’s Future: Faith, Justice and Leadership,” drew Islamic scholars and delegates from across the country.
Dr Umar said the call for Amupitan’s removal followed a legal brief allegedly authored by the INEC chairman in which he asserted the existence of a Christian genocide, a claim the Federal Government has since dismissed.
According to Umar, the position placed the INEC boss in direct conflict with Nigeria’s official stance and raised serious concerns about religious bias.
“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,” Umar said.
He added that the conduct attributed to Amupitan was unacceptable and showed clear religious bias, stressing that Nigeria requires an electoral umpire whose integrity is beyond question.
“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, and if not, the government should dismiss him or compulsorily retire him,” he said.
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On fiscal matters, Umar said the SCSN firmly opposed any tax reform that imposed undue hardship on citizens, insisting that government policies must be equitable, humane and socially responsible.
He also raised concerns over alleged alterations made to tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly, accusing some executive agents of tampering with the legislation. He called on the legislature to conduct a public hearing and a comprehensive forensic review of all laws passed since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly.
“It is our considered view that the National Assembly should conduct a public hearing and, more importantly, undertake a comprehensive forensic review of all laws passed since the commencement of this 10th Assembly,” he said.
Dr Umar further said the Council unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and urged the Federal Government to fulfil its constitutional duty of protecting lives and ensuring peace through security actions and reconciliation efforts.
“The Council categorically rejects the premeditated false and inflammatory propaganda of a Christian genocide narrative and warns that dishonest public discourse fuels division, mistrust and national instability,” he said.
He added that the SCSN opposed foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, including the establishment of any foreign military base, while affirming that the religious freedom of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah is 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 had consistently engaged on issues of national unity, justice, peaceful coexistence and development.
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