ABUJA – The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has officially drawn a line in the sand, rejecting what it described as a “dangerous and bigoted” call by the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN) for the removal of INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan.
In a strongly worded statement released on Thursday, Northern CAN Chairman Rev. Joseph John Hayab described the demand as a blatant attempt to politicise religion and undermine the country’s democratic stability. The move comes as a direct response to the Sharia Council’s vow to boycott the 2027 polls if Amupitan, a Christian, remains at the helm of the electoral umpire.
“The call for the removal of Prof. Amupitan is not based on incompetence but on religious intolerance,” Rev. Hayab asserted. He further urged the SCSN to desist from inciting the public and to instead support the electoral body in its quest to conduct transparent elections.
Battle Over Neutrality
The Sharia Council had earlier alleged that Amupitan was unfit for the role, citing an old legal brief purportedly authored by him that discussed “Christian genocide” in Nigeria. They argued this demonstrated a lack of neutrality.
However, Northern Christian clerics have dismissed these claims as “baseless blackmail.” They maintained that Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former University of Jos Deputy Vice-Chancellor, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on October 23, 2025, precisely for his legal expertise and integrity.
A Fragile Democracy
The heated exchange has raised alarms among civil society groups who fear that the electoral umpire is being dragged into a religious proxy war. Northern CAN has called on President Tinubu to ignore the “distractive” demands and has reaffirmed its confidence in the INEC Chairman’s ability to serve all Nigerians regardless of faith.
As the 2027 election cycle approaches, this deepening rift between the two major religious blocs in the North threatens to become a defining challenge for the current administration’s efforts toward national cohesion.
Should the Federal Government convene a high-level inter-faith dialogue to address these grievances before the 2027 electoral roadmap is fully deployed?
