MURIC Doubts INEC’s Credibility To Conduct Free, Fair Elections In 2027

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has expressed doubt over the capability of the leadership of  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free and fear elections in 2027.

Addressing World Press Conference, MURIC’s founder/executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola yesterday, alleged that most Muslims have been disenfranchised during registration exercises.

According to him, most of hijab wearing women were denied rights to perform their Civic responsibilities, as they were asked to remove their hijabs or veils.

It would be recalled that MURIC had from onset rejected the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan as INEC chairman because of his role in the alleged Christian genocide fiction.

“It is irony of history that the man behind the petitoon against Nigerian Muslims which was sent to America is, today, the chairman of INEC, and this is didactic because we raised the alarm about posdoble repeat of anti-Muslim sentiment on the same man, Professor Joash Amupitan when he was picked as head of nation’s electoral body.

“It is an open secret that the same Professor  Joash who occupies the highest seat in INEC today was fingered as the author of the damming 80-page legal brief which was sent to America.

“He has not denied this to date. That document was used by the White House to wrongly and unfairly indict Nigeria.

“Our country was labeled ‘Country of Special Concern’. We were threatened. US troops eventually landed in Nigeria. Nigeria heald its breath and tumbled”, the group said.

“We said there was strong likelihood of him profiling Muslim candidates and their votes before, during and even after elections”, it said.

While noting that MURIC was not the only Islamic organisation that protested against his appointment, the group said “Yet he was retained.

“Amupitan’s lopsided handling of Professor Isa Alli Pantanmi’s name from the list of Gombe governorship candidates after a court of competent jurusdiction had ruled that a new a new primary election should be held and it was so held. From that moment the product of that election becomes a fona fide candidate.

“From this standpoint, INEC’s action against Pantami must be seen as deliberate and premeditated. The removal of Pantami’s name constitutes a challenge of a court ruling and an act of impunity bordering on contempt because the fresh primary election was ordered by a court of law.

“It is our contention that Amupitan still has an axe to grind with Muslim candidates and Muslim voters. We are not safe in the hands of INEC under Amupitan. We are not fantasizing”.

According to MURIC, while President Bola Tinubu is working very hard on economic reform, “Amupitan is pursuing his hidden agenda in INEC, namely, to weed out Islamic scholars among the candidates of the 2027 general elections, particularly those vying for higher offices, like the governorship seats”.