There Have Been 13 Electoral Umpires In Nigeria, Only Two Have Been Muslims — Yusuf

Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, has described concerns surrounding the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as valid, stressing that integrity and public trust are essential for credible elections.

Yusuf made the remarks during an interview on TrustTV News shared on Thursday, February 5, 2026, while responding to questions about controversies linked to the INEC Chairman ahead of the 2027 general elections. Amupitan, a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was sworn in as INEC Chairman by President Bola Tinubu on October 23, 2025, succeeding Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

During the interview, the issue of the INEC Chairman’s alleged involvement in a legal brief written about six years ago was raised, alongside reactions from religious bodies in Northern Nigeria. The interviewer noted, “of the INEC Chairman’s purported role in the conversation some six years ago when he wrote that legal brief.”

He added that religious groups had intervened, saying, “The clergy in the North, the Supreme Council, the Sharia Council has stepped in to say, listen, if he’s going to take charge of the 2027 elections, Muslims will not legitimize it and so on and so forth.” The interviewer further stated, “There have been several calls for the President to replace him, not much has happened.”

He added that the government had remained firm, noting, “The federal government has doubled down to say, listen, he is the choice to lead INEC.” A question was then posed, “Is it about time that people who express that concern to let it go and not to further toxify the political atmosphere in this country?” Responding, Yusuf said, “No, this is valid concern.”

He explained, “You don’t need to be a professor to be the INEC Chairman.” He added, “You don’t need to be a doctor. You don’t need to be a lawyer.” According to him, “What you must have is integrity and trust of the people.” Yusuf warned, “If you lose this too, you cannot be an independent umpire. End of story.”

The interviewer then asked, “But his boss is a Muslim. How does that work exactly? I mean, the man who appointed him, the President.” In response, Yusuf said, “Look, you guys talk about religion.” He provided historical context, stating, “There so far have been 13 electoral umpires in Nigeria.” He added, “11 of them, 11 of the only two, only two have been Muslims.”

Yusuf explained, “Professor Jega is the first Muslim and then Yakubu.” He continued, “But all the others, all the other 11 have been Christians.” According to him, “So it’s not about religion.” He criticised religious framing of the debate, saying, “So when I hear CAN talking about religion is religion is religion, they’re missing the point.”

Yusuf stressed, “It’s about integrity, which all our faiths say a person must have.” He added, “Even your children, even your dad, even your wife.” Yusuf concluded by stating, “We have no trust in a person who believes, who wrote an 80 page brief six years ago supporting this lie.” He added, “Well, then if he doesn’t know, these are not the kind of people you bring here.

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