10/11/2025
SUPREME COUNCIL FOR ISLAMIC AFFAIRS REACTS TO INEC CHAIRMANâS ALLEGED INSULT AGAINST THE SOKOTO CALIPHATE
(From Gimbiyar Hausa Reports)
The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Saâad Abubakar III, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately dismiss the newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, following a controversial statement attributed to him.
In the alleged publication, Professor Amupitan claimed that Shehu Usman Éan Fodio was âthe ideological root and origin of terrorism and ethnic violence perpetrated by Fulani groups across West Africa.â
The NSCIA condemned the statement as âreckless and blasphemous,â describing it as an insult to the Sokoto Caliphate and to one of Islamâs most revered historical reformers in West Africa.
After a detailed review of Amupitanâs comments, the Council urged President Tinubu to immediately remove him from office, arguing that:
> âNigeria is a religiously diverse country. It is unacceptable for a person who openly expresses hostility toward a major faith or historical institution to preside over a sensitive national body like INEC.â
The Council emphasized that Shehu Usman Éan Fodio spread Islam through education and moral reform, not terrorism, and condemned any attempt to associate him with modern extremist violence.
Academic and Historical Context
However, the controversy has reopened long-standing academic debates about certain controversial writings attributed to Shehu Usman Éan Fodio, especially the manuscript WalamÄ Balaghtu, which contains claims of visions, divine encounters, and heavenly mandates.
In the text, Shehu is reported to have written:
> âI saw my Lord, I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), I saw Prophet Yusuf, and the Rightly Guided Caliphs â Abubakar, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. I was given a sword and commanded to rise and perform jihad against corrupt Muslim kingdoms to purify them.â
This claim, along with others asserting that he was divinely chosen for jihad, has drawn both reverence and criticism.
Historical sources, including IhyÄÊŸ al-Sunnah, TazyÄ«n al-Waraqat, and InfÄq al-MaysĆ«r, all attributed to the Sokoto scholarly dynasty, make reference to these visions and divine instructions.
Critics point out that Shehu Usman Éan Fodio went as far as launching campaigns against other Muslim scholars and communities, such as those in Yandoto (in present-day Zamfara) and the Borno Empire of Ngazargamu, accusing them of deviating from his religious understanding.
He reportedly declared jihad on these regions when many local scholars challenged the legitimacy of waging war against Muslim states.
In defending his actions, historical sources record that Éan Fodio claimed his commands came directly from divine revelation a claim that lies at the heart of the present scholarly debate.
Authenticity and Scholarly Evidence
According to researchers such as Bello bin Fodio (his son), Abdullahi bin Fodio (his brother), Shariff Ibrahim Saleh al-Hussaini, and Dr. Muhammad Sharif of Sankore University, the WalamÄ Balaghtu manuscript is indeed authentic.
Similarly, Abdullahi Adam al-Ilory, in his TÄrÄ«kh al-NijÄriyya, confirmed that the text was part of the original body of the Shehuâs works.
In contrast, Malam Aminu Aliyu Gusau has rejected the authenticity of WalamÄ Balaghtu, arguing that it contradicts the orthodox Sunni creed which forbids claims of revelation after the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Responding to Gusauâs position, historian Khalid al-HawÄsawi of Kaduna strongly countered that:
> âWhoever denies WalamÄ Balaghtu must also reject all other writings attributed to Usman Éan Fodio, because no single text has more historical documentation than this one.â
He further presented eleven independent manuscript copies, preserved since the 19th century, as evidence of authenticity.
Additionally, Nicholas Saâid, a Kanuri intellectual and contemporary of the Caliphate (1836â1882), also testified that Éan Fodio âclaimed to have been divinely commanded to wage war against all non-Muslim kingdoms in Central Africa,â a statement consistent with the content of WalamÄ Balaghtu.
Conclusion
The dispute surrounding Professor Amupitanâs alleged remarks and the authenticity of WalamÄ Balaghtu has ignited a deeper conversation about religious sensitivity, historical accountability, and freedom of academic expression in Nigeria.
While the NSCIA insists that the INEC Chairmanâs statement is defamatory and calls for his removal, historians argue that critical examination of historical figures must not be mistaken for religious hostility, as long as it is based on documented evidence.
The debate over Shehu Usman Éan Fodio, his campaigns in Yandoto and Ngazargamu, and his claims of divine guidance continues to divide opinions between religious reverence and historical inquiry a reflection of the complex legacy of the Sokoto Caliphate in Nigeriaâs modern identity.
Gimbiyar Hausa Reports
