Christian genocide claim: Groups urge action on Amupitan
Calls are thickening for the sack of the recently appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, over his position on the insecurity in Nigeria. Daily Trust reports that, in the paper, Amupitan, who was then a faculty member at the University of Jos, Plateau State, said, among other things, that […]
Calls are thickening for the sack of the recently appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, over his position on the insecurity in Nigeria.
Daily Trust reports that, in the paper, Amupitan, who was then a faculty member at the University of Jos, Plateau State, said, among other things, that “it is a notorious fact that there is perpetration of crimes under international law in Nigeria, particularly crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.
“One word that the Nigerian authorities and international investigators and rapporteurs have not mentioned (or simply refuse to mention) in respect of the protracted violence in Nigeria is ‘genocide.’ Is this a deliberate omission or an oversight?”
He added that the “alleged involvement of the state and non-state actors in the commission of crimes under international law in Nigeria has complicated an already complex situation.”
He added that, “Boko Haram sect is a desire for the Islamisation of Nigeria. The Fulani ethnic militants, on their part, have engaged in the same anti-Christian violence as their Boko Haram counterparts.
He had also called on the United Nations Security Council, its relevant organs, and major world powers to, among other recommendations, urge contracting parties to the Genocide Convention to sue Nigeria before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for failing to prevent and punish genocide as required under Articles 8 and 9 of the Convention; and consider military intervention by the UN, the African Union (AU) or ECOWAS forces as a last resort, in line with Article 42 of the UN Charter.
While reacting, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) urged President Tinubu to review Amupitan’s appointment.
In a statement by Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, its Secretary-General, the council expressed “serious concern” over the document, describing it as a “toxic legal brief containing highly provocative, distorted, and bigoted assertions about the nature of conflicts in Northern Nigeria.”
The SCSN said it was “unfortunate and disturbing” that someone now responsible for safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic integrity could have once promoted such divisive and sectarian views.
The SCSN argued that the position of INEC chairman demands the highest standards of neutrality, fairness, and inclusivity, qualities it said were inconsistent with the sentiments expressed in the alleged brief.
It, therefore, called on President Tinubu to “critically review the appointment of Prof Amupitan as INEC chairman to safeguard the credibility of the nation’s electoral process.”
“The integrity of Nigeria’s elections cannot be entrusted to someone whose record reveals open hostility toward one of the country’s largest faith communities,” the statement added.
Also, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) said Amupitan cannot be trusted to manage the country’s electoral process fairly.
Accordingly, the body is demanding that President Tinubu must sack the law professor from office with immediate effect, alleging that his leadership of INEC poses a serious threat to Muslim candidates in the 2027 general elections.
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 US 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.
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.”
Adding his voice, a former Minister of Education (State), Dr Aliyu Tilde, in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, demanded the resignation — or removal — of the INEC chairman over what he described as “gross bias” and “dishonest remarks” against Nigerians of diverse faiths and ethnic backgrounds.
In the viral post made on Monday, Dr Tilde, who once served as a senior government official and respected policy analyst, accused the INEC boss of lying “against Christians, Muslims, Hausa, Fulani, and Nigeria” without presenting any evidence.
“INEC Chairman should resign or be kicked out,” Tilde wrote. “This is too gross and partial for his chair. He lied against Christians, Muslims, Hausa, Fulani, and Nigeria — without evidence. What an irony for our lecturer of Law of Evidence!”