A dispute over calls for the removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, escalated this week as a prominent social-media critic accused the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) of religious bias and a youths’ group warned of dangers to national unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
HAUSAWA, a well-known social-media commentator, on Monday condemned the SCSN for demanding Amupitan’s removal, saying Christian organisations did not press for the dismissal of former minister Isa Pantami despite past reports linking him to extremist statements. “I therefore see no justification for the Sharia Council’s demand…simply because he spoke out against the genocide of Christians,” HAUSAWA said, arguing that many Islamic organisations deny such killings.
The SCSN, through its Secretary General Nafiu Baba Ahmad, on Thursday issued a clarification saying its stance was “grossly misconstrued” and not religiously motivated. The council said its concerns relate to “national cohesion, constitutionalism and troubling antecedents” in a 2020 legal brief attributed to Prof. Amupitan, which it said contained “provocative and prejudicial claims” about Nigerian Muslims, Northern Nigeria and the historic Sokoto Caliphate. The SCSN warned such claims, if presented to foreign actors, could have diplomatic and financial consequences.
The Middle Belt Youths Forum reacted on 31 January, describing the SCSN’s remarks as “inflammatory and divisive rhetoric” that could erode trust in INEC. “Your plot to undermine the 2027 election is an act of treason,” the group said, urging adherence to constitutional processes and restraint in public communication.
Observers say the episode highlights tensions between religious groups and electoral institutions and underscores the risk of further polarisation ahead of national elections. Both the SCSN and critics appealed for calm and urged that any dispute be resolved through legal and constitutional channels.
