Replace him with a tolerant Christian

‎By ‎Professor Ishaq Akintola

‎A non-govermental, non-profit making, faith-based, civil liberties group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has again demanded the sack of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.

‎MURIC’s grouse with INEC chairman is the toxic 80-page legal brief authored by the professor which was one of the major documents used by the United States of America to indict Nigeria on the highly controversial and volatile issue of Christian genocide.

‎MURIC said:

‎”We are highly disappointed with both the Federal Government (FG) and Professor Joash Amupitan for their graveyard silence over the demand of the Nigerian Muslim Community that the INEC boss should be removed for penning the toxic 80-page legal brief which was one of the major documents used by the United States of America to indict Nigeria on the highly controversial and volatile issue of Christian genocide.

“We are especially disappointed that FG has elected to ignore calls to sack the INEC boss made by several Islamic organizations in the country. It is lack of sensitivity.

‎”As far as Nigerian Muslims are concerned, Joash Amupitan has become personna non grata to our own vision of the Nigerian electoral architecture. Even the PVC revalidation exercise being planned by him is seen by us as a trap where prospective Muslim voters will be massively disenfranchised.

‎”Amupitan has become an electoral burden to INEC, a human landmine and the personification of existential threat to Nigerian Muslim voters.

“He sold Nigeria once. He will sell Nigeria again. Anyone who invites imperialists into the internal affairs of his country deserves treason-related scrutiny. We hereby declare a vote of no confidence in the current INEC boss. FG should replace him with a tolerant Christian. To us, Amupitan is a live wire, highly combustible.

‎”Even if FG did not act, he is expected to have voluntarily resigned with the gravity of the allegation leveled against him. That would have been integrity activated. But Amupitan continues to hang on to a loose string from a spider’s web in spite of the grave allegation staring him in the face.

‎”Nigeria cannot advance in any notable field if people like Amupitan continue to revel in the infamous sit-tight syndrome. The INEC boss should know when the party is over. He should know very well that he could not have been appointed to that sensitive office if his pathological hatred for Muslims had been known earlier, particularly his ignoble role in pushing the false, misleading and malicious Christian genocide narrative.

“Amupitan should have resigned honourably after the lid was blown off the entire thing. But he held on, desperately. The most interesting aspect of all these is that our INEC boss has not denied involvement to date. Observers are miffed by his silence because it is only in Nigeria that such impunity thrives. People resign from office in other climes over such scandals and misdeeds.

The list of those who resigned from public offices over scandals in more civilised environments include Rep. Jim Wright (House Speaker 1989), Rep. Bob Livingston (Speaker 1998), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (over the ‘Pincher scandal’ and ‘Partygate’ 2022) and more recently, in January 2025, Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq resigned over questions regarding her financial ties to the ousted Bangladeshi leader.

‎”But never in Nigeria where sit-tight syndrome is the order of the day. Perhaps the INEC boss thinks we would soon get tired of the matter. Hiw wrong can he be! On the contrary, we are just starting. Aluta continua, victoria acerta. We welcome Professor Joash Amupitan to ‘genocidegate’.

‎”Nigeria has never had a worse umpire at the helm of our electoral affairs. He is a living embodiment of Muslim-Christian dichotomy. He is therefore a potent threat to religious harmony. It is hard for Muslims to contemplate forgiveness with Amupitan as the electoral umpire. Amupitan must go!”

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).