The Arewa Youth Alliance for Religious Harmony on Saturday tackled the Muslim Rights Concern over its recent call for the sacking of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, over his comment on alleged Christian genocide in the country.
MURIC, in a statement last week, by its Executive Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, said Amupitan once authored a legal brief to the United States on an alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.
MURIC argued that the brief undermines Amupitan’s credibility among Muslims and renders him unfit to oversee national elections.
Akintola declared: “We hereby declare our total, complete, and categorical loss of confidence in him as INEC boss. Concomitantly, we hereby call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to sack Professor Joash Amupitan.”
But speaking on Sunday at a press conference at the Arewa House, Kaduna, the Arewa Youth Alliance described the demand as “ill-advised” and an attempt to weaponise religion for political ends.
The group argued that the alleged legal opinion being cited was authored years ago during Amupitan’s academic career and has no bearing on his current role.
The Chairman of the group, Elder Joseph Chori, warned that the North faces several pressing challenges and said actions capable of deepening religious or ethnic fault lines should be avoided.
“It is disheartening to witness elements within our fold spearheading a campaign that is needlessly divisive. We must not allow personal grievances to be clothed in ethnic or religious sentiments,” he said.
Chori commended Amupitan and his team for their handling of the recently concluded Anambra State governorship election, which he described as “transparent, credible and reflective of the people’s will.”
According to him, the outcome—won by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance rather than the ruling All Progressives Congress—demonstrated that INEC under Amupitan could deliver competitive elections without interference.
“The result has boosted the morale of opposition parties and dispelled fears that Nigeria was drifting into a one-party system,” Chori said.
He argued that removing the INEC boss after such a poll would be counterproductive and contrary to the principles of justice, adding: “It would send the wrong message and undermine the confidence of citizens in the electoral process.”
The alliance urged northern leaders, civil society groups, and Nigerians across political divides to rally behind INEC as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
“The commission needs support, not distractions, if it is to remain independent and effective,” Chori said
Also speaking, Co-Chairman, Abbas Aminu, said northern youths would continue to stand by Amupitan as he works to strengthen electoral processes.
He insisted that the calls for his removal do not represent the majority of northern voices.
“These few voices do not speak for the majority of our people. The majority stand with him. The calls for his removal are coming from those afraid of free, fair, and credible elections,” Aminu said.
He also urged politicians and interest groups to refrain from stoking religious tensions, stressing that the region needed unity ahead of the 2027 polls.
“Our focus should be on building trust in our electoral institutions, not tearing them down for political convenience,” he added, reiterating the alliance’s call for cohesion and support for INEC’s independence.
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