The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has once again called for the removal of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This marks the fourth time the group has demanded Amupitan's sack, though this instance stems from a fresh controversy regarding the redeployment of the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).
Allegations of Professional Impropriety
In a statement released to the media on Monday, 11 May 2026, MURIC's Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, accused the INEC chairman of professional misconduct in the manner Barrister Mutiu Agboke, the former Osun REC, was replaced. Akintola highlighted that Agboke was recently substituted with Mrs. Toyin Babalola, a retired INEC director.
Shortly after the redeployment, Labour Party's National Vice Chairman for the South-West, Mr. Abayomi Arabambi, disclosed that Agboke's removal was triggered by a petition from the Osun State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Akintola expressed MURIC's deep concern over this revelation, comparing the situation to a football referee making a unilateral decision based on a complaint from one team without consulting linesmen or VAR.
Lack of Transparency and Due Process
Akintola lamented the absence of any public explanation for the redeployment, describing the action as reckless, thoughtless, and despotic. He stated, "The optics here suggest that marching orders were given to a chief electoral officer who refused to bend principles for the powers that be." He further noted that the replacement, a retired INEC director, still has a pending court case, raising questions about procedural propriety.
MURIC has demanded an immediate reversal of Agboke's redeployment, insisting that due process was not followed. The group reiterated its call for Amupitan's sack, citing a history of grievances including his authorship of an 80-page legal brief on Christian genocide submitted to America, the controversial delisting of a political party, and his disputed X (formerly Twitter) account. According to Akintola, these incidents prove Amupitan incapable of making independent and unbiased decisions.
