The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced plans to intensify its campaign against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, calling for his immediate resignation.
The party said it would submit petitions to foreign governments, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and other relevant institutions over allegations it described as harmful to the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.
This was made known in a statement issued on Saturday by the ADC spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi. Speaking on behalf of the party, Abdullahi insisted that Professor Amupitan must step aside, alleging that recent developments and what the party described as “incontrovertible digital evidence” have further damaged public confidence in his neutrality.
According to the ADC, the controversy arose from a recent revelation allegedly linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet made in 2023 to Professor Amupitan. The party described the development as deeply troubling and a serious threat to the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
The ADC argued that in a democratic society, an electoral umpire must not only be independent but must also be widely perceived as impartial, warning that any doubt over the credibility of INEC leadership could undermine the legitimacy of elections.
In its statement, the party accused the INEC Chairman of attempting to tamper with digital records in order to erase evidence of alleged political partisanship, describing the action as a deliberate attack on accountability and transparency.
“The referee cannot be running around in the shirt of one of the teams he’s supposed to officiate,” the party stated, insisting that anything short of Amupitan’s resignation would amount to an insult to Nigerians and set a dangerous precedent for the country’s democracy.
The ADC further announced that it would update its petitions to both local and international bodies and also promised to escalate civil disobedience actions until the INEC Chairman vacates office.
The party warned that failure to address the allegations could further erode public trust in the electoral system.
Professor Amupitan has, however, denied ever posting any tweet in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, although the denial has continued to attract criticism from Nigerians on social media platform X.
The dispute between the ADC and the INEC Chairman is also linked to the removal of the David Mark-led leadership from INEC’s official portal. While INEC claimed the action was taken based on a court order, the decision has been challenged by several groups, including the ADC faction led by David Mark and the Nigerian Bar Association.
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