The Muslim Rights Concern has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of preventing thousands of hijab-wearing women from voting in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, calling for the removal of INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan.

MURIC’s Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, issued a statement on Sunday alleging that the incidents were widespread across the state and amounted to targeted disenfranchisement. The claims have not been independently verified, and INEC had not publicly responded as of Sunday evening.

“Thousands of Muslim women who wore hijab were disallowed from voting in the Osun gubernatorial election which took place yesterday, 15th August, 2026. The incident was widespread,” Akintola said. He further alleged that some women were permitted to vote only after removing their religious head covering. “It was targeted coercion, humiliation and disenfranchisement. A few weak and uninformed Muslim women in hijab were allowed only after surrendering by removing their hijab.”

MURIC attributed the alleged incidents to what it described as INEC’s failure to properly educate its regular and ad hoc staff on religious freedom. “We strongly condemn this massive disenfranchisement. But we cannot but connect it to the failure of INEC leadership to properly educate and instruct its regular and ad hoc staff on freedom of religion,” Akintola stated.

The organisation directed particular criticism at INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, accusing him of hostility toward Nigerian Muslims. “The head of INEC himself has no respect for Nigerian Muslims and he had been enmeshed in the Christian genocide scandal over which he was accused of writing an 80-page legal brief which brought American soldiers to Nigeria,” Akintola said.

MURIC claimed to possess video evidence supporting its allegation. “We have concrete and incontrovertible evidence for our allegation. We have a video clip of an hijab-clad Muslim woman who complained bitterly about how she was disallowed from voting on account of hijab she wore,” Akintola said.

The organisation further contended that the alleged disenfranchisement may have influenced the election’s outcome. INEC declared Accord Party candidate Ademola Adeleke the winner with 511,067 votes, defeating APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.

“MURIC reiterates its call for the removal of Professor Joash Amupitan as head of INEC. We contend that the intimidation of Muslim women in hijab during yesterday’s election in Osun State had a direct impact on the outcome of the election,” Akintola said.

The group warned of broader consequences for the 2027 general elections. “We warn that worse treatments are in the offing for Muslim voters throughout the country in the 2027 general elections. We therefore alert the Federal Government over such plans by Amupitan and his team of Muslim haters,” Akintola stated.

“No civilised society should encourage the public humiliation of women. We blame INEC for this violation of Allah-given fundamental human rights of Muslim women,” he said.

Critics have called on MURIC to provide verifiable data showing the scale and locations of the alleged incidents, noting that a single video of one voter would not by itself demonstrate that thousands were similarly disenfranchised.