Muslim Rights Concern Petitions National Assembly Over INEC Chairman’s Christian Genocide Article
Muslim Rights Concern Petitions National Assembly Over INEC Chairman’s Christian Genocide Article
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has taken its demand for the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to the National Assembly, intensifying the controversy surrounding a past article written by the electoral chief.
MURIC, in a petition submitted to lawmakers, alleged that Amupitan authored a legal brief before his appointment as INEC chairman in which he reportedly described the violence in parts of Nigeria as a form of “genocide” against Christians.
The group’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, argued that the publication portrayed Muslims negatively and could undermine the confidence of Muslim voters in the neutrality of the electoral body.
According to MURIC, the content of the document raises concerns about the ability of the INEC chairman to conduct elections impartially, especially as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation therefore urged the National Assembly to investigate the matter and take necessary steps to ensure that the electoral commission remains credible and trusted by all segments of the population.
The petition is the latest in a series of calls by the group for Amupitan’s removal, a demand that has drawn mixed reactions from different religious and civic organisations.
While some Islamic groups have backed the call for his removal, other groups have defended the INEC chairman, arguing that the document in question was written in his capacity as a legal scholar before assuming public office.
They insist that academic opinions expressed in the past should not be used to question his ability to carry out his constitutional duties as the head of the country’s electoral body.
As of the time of filing this report, the National Assembly had yet to publicly respond to the petition, and Professor Amupitan remains in office as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
