Calling for INEC Chairman’s Sack by Shari’ah Council is Wrong, Christian Media Forum

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On Tuesday during the 2026 Annual Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly held in Abuja, the President of the Supreme Council for Shari’ah, Sheikh Bashir Umar, called for the removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, on the basis of his religious faith.

During the meeting, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah stated that Muslims across the country would not recognize or legitimize any election conducted under the leadership of an INEC Chairman whose integrity is allegedly in question.

This call has raised concern as the Christian Media Forum disagrees with the Council for Shari’ah, stating that the call was baseless, unfortunate, and highly divisive, undermining Nigeria’s constitutional principles of fairness, inclusion, and religious freedom.

In a statement jointly signed by the National President of the Christian Media Forum, Okpani Jacob Onjewu Dickson, and the National Secretary, Andrew Ibrahim Mshelia, it is clearly stated that public offices are based on integrity, performance, and competence, not on ethnicity or affiliations, as such can influence religious sentiments.