By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has again demanded the dismissal of Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The group’s renewed call follows allegations that a legal brief authored by Amupitan was used by the United States government to accuse Nigeria of committing “Christian genocide”—a claim MURIC describes as highly controversial and volatile.
In a statement issued on Sunday, MURIC expressed disappointment with both the Federal Government and Professor Amupitan for their “graveyard silence” on the matter. The group noted that several Islamic organizations had previously called for the INEC chairman’s removal, and accused the government of insensitivity for ignoring those demands.
“As far as Nigerian Muslims are concerned, Joash Amupitan has become persona non grata to our vision of the Nigerian electoral architecture,” the statement read. MURIC further alleged that the planned Permanent Voter Card (PVC) revalidation exercise under Amupitan’s leadership could be used to disenfranchise Muslim voters, describing him as “an electoral burden,” “a human landmine,” and “the personification of an existential threat to Nigerian Muslim voters.”
The group argued that Amupitan had “sold Nigeria once” by inviting foreign interference into the country’s internal affairs, and that he should face treason-related scrutiny. MURIC declared a vote of no confidence in the INEC chairman and urged the Federal Government to replace him with “a tolerant Christian.”
MURIC also contended that Amupitan should have voluntarily resigned following the allegations, suggesting that his failure to do so indicates a lack of integrity. The group compared his situation to international examples where public officials resigned over scandals, including former U.S. House Speakers Jim Wright and Bob Livingston, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and, more recently, UK Treasury Minister Tulip Siddiq in January 2025.
“Never in Nigeria, where sit-tight syndrome is the order of the day,” the statement added. “Perhaps the INEC boss thinks we would soon get tired of the matter. How wrong can he be! … Amupitan must go!”
MURIC concluded by framing the controversy as “genocidegate” and warning that Amupitan’s continued tenure poses a threat to religious harmony in Nigeria. As of the time of this report, neither INEC nor Professor Amupitan had issued a public response to the allegations.
