The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for the immediate removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, over his position on the insecurity in Nigeria.

Daily Trust reports that, in a legal brief, Amupitan, who was then a faculty member at the University of Jos, Plateau State, said, among other things, that "One word that the Nigerian authorities and international investigators and rapporteurs have not mentioned (or simply refuse to mention) in respect of the protracted violence in Nigeria is 'genocide.' Is this a deliberate omission or an oversight?"

He added that, "Boko Haram sect is a desire for the Islamisation of Nigeria. The Fulani ethnic militants, on their part, have engaged in the same anti-Christian violence as their Boko Haram counterparts."

In a statement by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC warned that anyone associated with such a controversial document cannot be trusted to preside over Nigeria's electoral processes.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

"A man who authored a hate letter to President Donald Trump about Muslims in Northern Nigeria cannot be expected to be fair in overseeing elections in Nigeria," he said.

MURIC said the INEC boss's alleged role in the report undermines public confidence and poses "a potent threat to Muslim candidates in North Central Nigeria and the rest of the country."

"From the moment this disclosure was made, Amupitan has become persona non grata in Muslim circles in election matters. We hereby declare our total, complete, and categorical loss of confidence in him as INEC boss," the group said.

The group therefore urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relieve the INEC chairman of his duties and appoint a replacement with "a national spread of acceptance."