The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has passed a vote of no confidence in the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Josh Amupitan, ahead of electoral activities that would culminate in the 2027 general elections.
The SCSN said the INEC chairman lacks the capacity and credibility to conduct free and fair 2027 election, stressing that the outcome of the 2027 election and the off-season elections that would be conducted by the INEC chairman would be unacceptable to them.
SCSN President, Sheik Bashir Aliyu Umar, dropped the demand at the annual pre-Ramadan lecture and general assembly of SCSN in Abuja, on Wednesday – today, January 28 – on the theme “Nigeria’s future: faith, justice, and leadership.”
He accused the INEC chairman of religious bias, having reportedly previously held that there “genocide” against Christians in Nigeria, even when the government said otherwise.
“With this, he has lost the trust and confidence of the Muslim community in Nigeria, particularly the members of SCSN. The best thing for him to do is to honourably resign, or the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should be asked to remove him from office. Otherwise, the outcome of any election he will conduct soon will be unacceptable to us. We declare that no election conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity can be recognised as credible,” Umar said.
“As the nation approaches another electoral cycle, we stress the need for credible institutions, ethical leadership, and responsible civic engagement. Democracy can only thrive where public confidence is protected, and where leadership is anchored on integrity, competence, and service.”
He further stated that SCSN has categorically rejected the premeditated false and inflammatory propaganda of a “Christian genocide” narrative, and warns that such dishonest public discourse could fuel division, mistrust, and national instability
“Hence, we strongly oppose foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, rejects the establishment of any foreign military base, and affirm that the religious freedom of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah is constitutionally guaranteed and non-negotiable.
“In addition to that, the we affirm that Shariah implementation is a constitutional right of Muslims, applies only to them, and that Muslims remain committed to peaceful coexistence. We firmly defends the Halal economy and Islamic finance as ethical, inclusive development tools, and cautions against denying Nigerians access to beneficially proven instruments such as Sukuk on the basis of unhealthy religious competition,” Umar added.
The SCSN said the Council has also observed the huge imbalance in federal appointments as regards Muslims, describing it as a serious violation of constitutional equity, and demanded urgent redress in line with the federal character principle to preserve national cohesion.
Meanwhile, the Council has firmly opposed the new tax policies, stressing that it inflicts unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians, and insisted that all fiscal policies must be equitable, humane, and socially responsible.
It also decried the effort to treat with kid gloves, a criminal act and major unconstitutional act by some agents of the Executive arm who substantially altered the approved bill by both Houses of the National 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,” the Council suggested.
