- Says INEC Chair cannot be trusted to oversee electoral process fairly
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – With claims of authoring a legal brief to the United States government on the alleged “Christian genocide” in Nigeria dangling dangerously over his head, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) says the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan cannot be trusted to manage the country’s electoral process fairly.
Accordingly, the body is demanding that President Bola Tinubu must sack the law professor from office with immediate effect, alleging that his leadership of INEC poses serious to Muslim candidates in the 2027 general elections.
MURIC’s demand is against the backdrop of a report by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), alleging that Professor Amupitan was behind the legal memo submitted to the U.S, and reportedly cited in a recent threat by President Donald Trump to “intervene” in Nigeria over religious persecution claims.
In a statement issued on Monday, 10th November 2025, by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC warned that anyone associated with such a controversial document cannot be trusted to preside over Nigeria’s electoral processes.
While urging the Federal Government to urgently take the expected decisive step now, the statement said, “This revelation is shocking, astounding, and petrifying. It adds another dangerous dimension to the U.S. threat of invasion.
“A man who authored the hate letter to President Donald Trump about Muslims of Northern Nigeria cannot be expected to be fair in overseeing elections in Nigeria, particularly general and gubernatorial elections,” the statement warned.
The statement said Amupitan’s leadership poses a “potent threat” to Muslim candidates across the country, especially in the North-Central region, stressing that his continued stay in office undermines public confidence in INEC’s neutrality.
MURIC further said, “We suggest that any other qualified person, preferably of the same faith as Amupitan but from another geo-political zone, be picked to replace him.”
As of the time of filing this report, official reactions were still being expected from both the INEC Chairman and the Presidency concerning the development.
This is even as MURIC insisted that the threat by United States (US) President Donald Trump regarding alleged Genocide against Christians in Nigeria must not be taken lightly by the federal government.
