By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has said it would not accept any election conducted under the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.
The SCSN also called for the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, noting that no election conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity can be credible.
This is even as the Islamic organisation rejected any government policies, including the controversial tax reform, saying they are capable of imposing unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
These were contained in the 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 on Wednesday, January 28, in Abuja.
The annual lecture had the theme, ‘Nigeria’s Future: Faith, Justice and Leadership,’ with Islamic scholars and delegates from across the country in attendance.
Dr Umar said the call for Amupitan’s removal was imperative in view of the legal brief he wrote in which he established the existence of a Christian genocide, an allegation the Federal Government had since denied.
He added that Amupitan’s alleged position on the Christian genocide had put him in direct conflict with what was Nigeria’s position.
“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 Amupitan’s position is an act that is not only unacceptable but also clearly shows that he is religiously biased.
While asserting that Nigeria needs someone whose integrity is uncompromised, Umar said Amupitan should either resign or be removed as the umpire to supervise the election of a democratic government in the country.
On the recently implemented tax laws, Umar said the SCSN firmly opposed any tax reform that imposed unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians. He declared that all government fiscal policies must not only be equitable and humane but also socially responsible.
He also decried the kid gloves in which alleged criminal and major unconstitutional acts by some agents of the executive arm of government, who substantially altered the tax reform bills passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
Umar called on the National Assembly to conduct a public hearing on the allegation of alterations in the tax laws and other laws passed since the inception of this 10th Assembly.
He further said the SCSN condemned any acts of terrorism, adding that the Nigerian government had to fulfil its constitutional responsibility to Nigerians by protecting their lives and ensuring peace in the land.
According to him, the Council is strongly opposed to foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and the establishment of any foreign military base.
He added that the SCSN equally affirms that the religious freedom of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah is constitutionally guaranteed and non-negotiable.
