The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the immediate resignation of Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), over allegations of partisanship. The opposition party’s demand follows the emergence of social media posts, allegedly authored by Amupitan, expressing support for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 election cycle.
Although Amupitan has denied authorship of the posts, attributing them to cybercriminal activity through his spokesman, Adedayo Oketola, the explanation has been met with scepticism by many Nigerians online. The ADC contends that the digital evidence appears compelling and poses a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the allegations as a grave affront to the integrity of the country’s electoral process. The party emphasised that electoral officials must not only be independent but must also be perceived as impartial at all times.
“In a democracy, the umpire must be above suspicion. He must not only be independent, he must be seen, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be independent. That is the minimum standard required of anyone entrusted with the sacred duty of conducting free and fair elections,” the statement read.
The ADC further alleged that attempts are being made to manipulate digital records to erase evidence of partisanship, describing such actions as a “calculated assault on truth and accountability.” The party argued that a person willing to manipulate records to protect themselves cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions of Nigerians.
The ADC has called for Amupitan’s immediate resignation, warning that failure to step down would undermine public confidence in the electoral process. “Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy,” the statement said.
The party also disclosed plans to update its petitions to relevant institutions, including foreign bodies and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), while vowing to escalate civil disobedience actions until the INEC chairman vacates office. The development has intensified scrutiny of INEC’s leadership and raised concerns about the independence of Nigeria’s electoral management body ahead of future elections.
