The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN), has called for the removal and prosecution of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, stressing that no election conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity can be credible.
This was as SCSN rejected the new tax laws, noting that the policies are capable of imposing unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians.
DR Bashir Aliyu Umar, President of the Council, stated the position of SCSN at the opening ceremony of the 2026 annual pre-Ramadan lecture and general assembly, with the theme; “Nigeria’s future: Faith, justice and leadership”, holding in Abuja, with Islamic scholars and delegates from across the country.
Umar insisted that the INEC Chairman, Professor 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 categorically dismissed.
Umar further said Amupitan’s position on the alleged Christian genocide had put him in direct conflict with what was Nigeria’s position.
The SCSN further said; “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”.
The Islamic organisation noted that Amupitan’s position was an act that is not only unacceptable, but clearly showed that he is religiously biased.
The SCSN stressed that Nigeria needs someone whose integrity is uncompromised, thus insisted that Amupitan should either resign or be removed as INEC chairman expected to supervise electing democratic government in the country.
It further said; “We need someone whose integrity is not compromised. Because of the compromise of his integrity, we feel that the honourable thing for him to do is to resign and if not, the government should actually dismiss him or at least retire him compulsorily from the service because his integrity is clearly compromised as far as we are concerned”.
The President of SCSN also opposed any tax reform that imposed unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians, adding that all government’s fiscal policies must not only be equitable and humane, but also socially responsible.
Umar particularly decried what he described as “the kid gloves” with which an alleged criminal and major unconstitutional act by some agents of the executive arm of government who altered the tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly.
The SCSN President, therefore 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 the 10th Assembly.
He also said; “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”.
While condemning acts of terrorism in Nigeria, the SCSN said the Nigerian government has to fulfil its constitutional responsibility to Nigerians by protecting lives and ensuring peace in the land.
“The Council unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and demands that the government fulfil its constitutional duty to protect every Nigerian’s life through both security action and peaceful reconciliation, including the aggrieved victims.
“The Council categorically rejects the premeditated false and inflammatory propaganda of a Christian genocide narrative and warns that dishonest public discourse fuels division, mistrust, and national instability,” Umar said.
The SCSN strongly opposed foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, and the establishment of any foreign military base, adding that it equally affirmed that the religious freedom of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah is constitutionally guaranteed and non-negotiable.
