The Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory rejected demands for the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan. The call for his removal was made earlier in Abuja by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria during its annual pre-Ramadan gathering, where the council accused the INEC chairman of bias and questioned his integrity.
The Shari’ah council argued that Amupitan’s continued stay in office could affect confidence in future elections, especially the 2027 general polls. The group based its position on a past legal document linked to Amupitan, which discussed attacks on Christians in Nigeria and framed them as coordinated violence. The council insisted that this raised doubts about his neutrality and warned that some Muslims might reject elections conducted under his leadership. The Muslim Rights Concern later supported this position and renewed its demand for his removal, citing alleged conflict of interest and past legal work connected to the ruling party.
In response, Northern CAN described the campaign against the INEC chairman as dangerous and unfair. The association said the issue had shifted from genuine concern to an attempt to drag religion into national institutions. It stated that public officers should be judged by competence and integrity rather than faith and questioned the real motive behind the sustained pressure on Amupitan. According to CAN, expressing concern about the challenges faced by one’s religious community does not automatically make a public official unfit for office.
The Christian body also warned that repeated attacks on the INEC chairman could weaken trust in the electoral body and deepen religious divisions. It recalled that previous INEC chairmen were Muslims from the North and noted that Christians did not oppose their appointments on religious grounds. CAN further argued that suggesting only members of one faith could head the electoral commission was unhealthy for national unity.
Other Christian groups, including the Youth Wing of CAN and the Christian Media Forum, also rejected the calls for Amupitan’s removal. They described the demands as politically driven and capable of creating unnecessary tension ahead of the 2027 elections. The groups urged religious organisations to avoid actions that could threaten peace and distract the electoral commission from its constitutional duty of conducting credible elections.
The groups concluded by calling on the INEC chairman to remain focused on his responsibilities, while urging Nigerians to resist attempts to frame politics along religious lines, warning that such moves could harm democracy and national cohesion.
CLICK THE LINK TO READ FULL LIST
- Advertisement -
Comments are closed.