Northern CAN rejects religious attacks on INEC Chairman, warns Sharia Council against politicizing religion

From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna

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) for the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.
It would be recalled that the Shari’ah Council earlier this week demanded the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, accusing him of compromised integrity over a legal brief in which he reportedly acknowledged claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development in a press statement signed on Thursday, the Chairman of Northern CAN, Rev. 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 were hiding under the platform of a religious body.
Describing the call as a dangerous attempt to politicize 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 the 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 prioritize 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, warning against narratives that suggest 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.”