Council urges Tinubu to review his appointment over claims of bias against Northern Muslims and Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio’s legacy.

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has expressed deep concern over reports that the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, allegedly authored a controversial legal brief containing “provocative and bigoted” claims against Northern Muslims and the legacy of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.

In a statement issued on Saturday, November 8, 2025, and signed by its Secretary-General, the Council described the revelations as “disturbing” and “dangerously inimical to national unity and peace.”

According to SCSN, the alleged document written by Prof. Amupitan in 2020 contained distorted assertions about conflicts in Northern Nigeria, framing them as “Christian genocide” and linking them to the 19th-century Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio.

The Council dismissed the claims as “malicious historical misrepresentation,” stressing that the violence in Northern Nigeria is complex and affects both Muslims and Christians.

“Available credible humanitarian data from independent and international sources incontrovertibly reveal that Muslims have suffered more casualties in these conflicts than any other group,” the statement read. “It defies logic for anyone to reduce these tragedies to a one-sided narrative of Christian persecution.”

SCSN maintained that the Jihad of Sheikh Uthman bn Fodio was a spiritual and moral reform movement, not an act of aggression, and that its ideals continue to inspire governance and justice across Africa.

The Council said Prof. Amupitan’s alleged views reflect “deep-seated prejudice” incompatible with the neutrality required of the head of Nigeria’s electoral body.

“It is astonishing and troubling that an individual with such open bias could pass security clearance to occupy such an exalted office,” the Council stated.

SCSN therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “critically review” Amupitan’s appointment to safeguard the credibility and integrity of INEC.

“The integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process cannot be entrusted to someone whose record reveals open hostility toward one of the country’s largest faith communities,” it added.

The Council further urged Nigerians of all faiths to reject divisive narratives and work together against “the real enemies of justice, corruption, poverty, and insecurity.”

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) is an Islamic organisation established in 1999 to promote and protect the application of Shari’ah principles in Nigeria. Based in Kaduna, the Council speaks on issues affecting Muslims, advocates for justice and good governance, and works to foster peace and unity across the country.