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CAN Tackles Shariah Council Over Call to Remove INEC Chair Amupitan
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has rejected the call by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.
The Shari’ah Council, earlier this week, demanded the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, as members of the Council questioned his integrity over a legal brief in which he reportedly acknowledged claims of persecution constituting genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Thursday, the Chairman of Northern CAN, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, and the Secretary General of Northern CAN, Bishop Mohammed Naga, questioned the motive behind the demand, asking who was sponsoring the call and why such interests are hiding behind the platform of a religious body.
Describing the call as a dangerous attempt to politicise religion and undermine a critical national institution, Hayab stressed that Professor Amupitan has a constitutional right to freedom of religion, adding that expressing concern over challenges faced by his religion does not amount to bias or disqualification from public service.
He also pointed out that many Muslims who had served in key government positions in the past had troubling religious antecedents, yet were not subjected to similar scrutiny, urging national actors to prioritise competence and national interest over sectarian sentiment.
Hayab, who warned that the controversy further reinforces concerns about persistent religious discrimination against Christians in Nigeria, particularly in appointments to sensitive national offices, recalled that the two immediate past INEC chairmen were Muslims from Northern Nigeria, and warned against narratives suggesting that only adherents of a particular religion are qualified to lead the electoral body.
“Anyone hiding under the guise of the Shari’ah Council to demand the removal of the INEC chairman over political or sectarian interests should come out boldly. Otherwise, the ploy has died naturally, he said.
“”Are they saying that no other religion should serve as INEC chairman except Muslims? The most important question Nigerians should ask is whether Professor Amupitan is competent or not.
That should be the focus, not his faith,” the statement added.
The association commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as a deliberate effort to promote national unity by appointing a Christian as INEC Chairman, despite being a Muslim.
It noted that the decision reflected statesmanship and inclusivity, similar to precedents set under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, who kept a northern Muslim as INEC Chairman against all odds.
The Christian leaders advise the Shari’ah Council to publicly identify any individual or group behind the campaign against the INEC chairman, insisting that religious platforms must not be used as “cheap cover” to pursue political interests or intimidate public officials.They, however, called on the INEC chairman not to be distracted by the controversy, urging him to remain focused on his constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections.
“He should concentrate on doing the right thing for Nigerians and not behave like others who openly manipulated elections in the past and now seek to remain relevant through religious blackmail,” the statement said.
Northern CAN also raised concerns about what it described as emerging signals of a coordinated political agenda ahead of the 2027 general election, citing recent comments by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) risks electoral defeat if it drops a Northern Muslim-Muslim ticket from President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ticket.
According to the association, such statements, when viewed alongside the sustained attacks on a Christian INEC chairman, raise legitimate questions about whether there is a deliberate effort to undermine Christian participation and confidence in the country’s political process.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
