KEY POINTS
- Nigeria election integrity concerns dominate Shari’ah Council warning.
- Islamic body says compromised polls lack democratic legitimacy.
- Council links Nigeria election integrity concerns to national stability.
Nigeria’s Supreme Council for Shari’ah has warned that it will not recognise elections conducted under what it describes as compromised conditions, raising concerns about electoral integrity as the country moves toward the 2027 general elections.
The position was announced in Abuja on Wednesday at the Council’s Annual Pre-Ramadan Lecture and General Assembly, attended by Islamic scholars, traditional rulers, professionals and civil society representatives. The gathering comes amid heightened debate over public trust in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
Speaking at the event, the Council’s President, Sheikh Bashir Aliyu Umar, said confidence in electoral authorities was central to national stability, adding that democratic legitimacy depended on integrity at every stage of the process. He warned that elections overseen by officials with questionable credibility would struggle to command public trust.
Nigeria election integrity concerns raised
Umar further said the Council had resolved that the Muslim community would not legitimise elections conducted under a cloud of compromised integrity. He cautioned that recent developments around the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission had triggered Nigeria election integrity concerns that could undermine confidence in future polls.
“No election conducted under questionable circumstances can be considered credible,” Umar said, urging authorities to protect the independence and moral standing of institutions responsible for managing elections.
Beyond electoral issues, the Council painted a bleak picture of Nigeria’s broader condition, citing worsening insecurity, economic hardship and declining public trust. Umar said inflation, unemployment and rising living costs had pushed millions of Nigerians into deeper hardship, creating what he described as a moment of national reckoning.
Nigeria election integrity concerns widen
The Council also addressed insecurity and terrorism, reiterating its condemnation of violence while calling for a mix of effective security action and peaceful reconciliation. Umar said Muslim communities had borne a disproportionate share of casualties, while stressing that every human life, regardless of faith, remained sacred.
On public discourse, the Council rejected what it called misleading narratives around religious violence, including claims of a “Christian genocide,” warning that inflammatory rhetoric risked deepening divisions.
The body also criticised aspects of Nigeria’s tax reform agenda, arguing that fiscal policies should not impose undue hardship on ordinary citizens. It also raised concerns about budget implementation and what it described as imbalances in federal appointments, saying such practices threatened constitutional equity and national cohesion.
Finally as Ramadan approaches, the Council urged Islamic scholars to use Tafseer sessions to promote unity, ethical leadership and responsible civic engagement, framing moral responsibility as essential to national renewal.
