The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has demanded the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, citing his past comments on insecurity in Nigeria.
Professor Amupitan, who was a lecturer at the University of Jos, Plateau State, had written that “it is a notorious fact that crimes under international law are being perpetrated in Nigeria, particularly crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.”
He further questioned why Nigerian authorities and international bodies had refrained from describing the violence in the country as “genocide,” suggesting it could be a deliberate omission or oversight.
Amupitan also claimed that the alleged involvement of both state and non-state actors in these crimes had worsened an already complex situation. He reportedly stated that the Boko Haram sect sought to Islamise Nigeria, while Fulani militants had engaged in similar anti-Christian violence.
In the same publication, Amupitan urged the United Nations Security Council and major world powers to consider legal and military actions against Nigeria for allegedly failing to prevent and punish acts of genocide, as stipulated in the Genocide Convention.
Reacting to the report, MURIC, through its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said anyone associated with such a controversial publication could not be trusted to oversee Nigeria’s elections impartially.
“A man who authored a hate-filled letter to President Donald Trump about Muslims in Northern Nigeria cannot be expected to be fair in managing elections in this country.
“From the moment this disclosure was made, Amupitan became persona non grata in Muslim circles regarding election matters. We hereby declare our total loss of confidence in him as INEC Chairman,” the statement said.
MURIC therefore called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack the INEC boss and appoint another qualified person with what it described as “a national spread of acceptance.”
“We suggest that any other qualified person, preferably of the same faith as Amupitan but from another geopolitical zone, be considered for the position,” Akintola said.
