The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, SCSN has called for the immediate removal and prosecution of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, over what it described as compromised electoral integrity.
This was even as the council firmly opposed the federal government’s tax reform, which it noted imposes unjust hardship on ordinary Nigerians, maintaining that all fiscal policies must be equitable, humane, and socially responsible.
President of the SCSN, Sheikh Dr. Bashir Aliyu Umar at the council’s ongoing annual pre-Ramadan lecture and general assembly, attended by Islamic scholars and delegates from across the country on Wednesday in Abuja, declared that no election conducted under such circumstances could be considered credible.
“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,” Umar said.
He added that position of the INEC chairman in the legal brief which he established the existence of a Christian genocide, that the federal government has categorically dismissed and said that there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria, puts him in direct conflict to what is the position of the nation.
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The scholar maintained that his position is an act that is unacceptable and has shown that he is clearly religiously biased and as an umpire for the democratic practice of electing a democratic government, there is the need to have someone who is clearly unbiased.
“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,” he said
Umar also decried the effort to treat with kid gloves, a criminal act and major unconstitutional act by some agents of the Executive arm who substantially altered the approved bill by both chambers of the National Assembly.
He 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.
“The Council unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms, and demands that the Government fulfil its constitutional duty to protect every Nigerian 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.”
He added that the council strongly opposes foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs, the establishment of any foreign military base, and affirms that the religious freedom of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah is constitutionally guaranteed and non-negotiable.
On his part, the Madakin Zazzau, Mal. Muhammadu Munir Ja’afaru, said since its establishment of the council, it has served as a credible, principled, and courageous voice of the Nigerian Muslim Ummah.
“It has consistently demonstrated concern not only for religious matters but also for the broader wellbeing, unity, and development of our nation.
“The Council has distinguished itself through strategic engagements, providing guidance rooted in the Qur’an and Sunnah, defending constitutional rights, promoting peaceful coexistence, advocating justice, and constructively engaging government and society on critical national issues,” he stressed.