By Sabiu Abdullahi
A former Bauchi State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Aliyu Usman Tilde, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, over what he described as a clear display of bias.
Dr. Tilde made the call in a post on his Facebook page where he wrote: “TINUBU: INEC Chairman Should Resign or be Kicked Out. This is too gross and partial for his chair.”
His comment followed the resurfacing of a 2020 publication authored by Professor Amupitan, in which he described the violence against Christians in Nigeria as “genocide.”
The document, titled “Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter: Genocide in Nigeria and the Implications for the International Community,” was part of a legal brief submitted to international organisations.
In the publication, Amupitan stated that crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity were being committed in Nigeria, adding that the victims were “mainly the Christian population and minority ethnic groups.”
The resurfacing of this document has triggered heated reactions across the country, with critics saying the position taken by Amupitan before his appointment raises serious questions about his neutrality as the nation’s electoral umpire.
Dr. Tilde, in his post, expressed concern that such views could undermine public trust in INEC, insisting that the chairman’s past statements make him unfit to preside over Nigeria’s electoral process.
Neither Professor Amupitan nor INEC has officially responded to the criticism.
However, some of his supporters argue that his earlier legal opinion was written in his capacity as an academic and lawyer, not as an election official.
The controversy has continued to generate debate among political observers, with calls for President Tinubu to address the matter to safeguard the credibility of future elections.