The youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Thursday staged a protest demanding the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, accusing the electoral body of refusing to recognise the party’s leadership.
The protest, which took place at the INEC state headquarters in Makurdi, Benue State, on Thursday, April 23, 2026, was led by the ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai.
The demonstrators marched from the party’s National Secretariat to submit a formal petition, warning that INEC’s alleged refusal to acknowledge the party’s leadership structure could undermine democratic participation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during the protest, Rufai expressed frustration over INEC’s position, claiming the commission had failed to recognise any individual as the party’s leader.
“As it is currently, the ADC has no leadership and we the youths of the country have mobilised for the 2027 election. For INEC to say that they do not at all recognise the leadership of ADC, not even David Mark, not Rauf Aregbesola, not Ralph Nwosu, is totally unacceptable,” Rufai said.
He issued an ultimatum to the electoral body, demanding that INEC reverse its decision without waiting for a court order or risk having its chairman removed.
“It is either INEC reverses its decision personally without court order, or Amupitan who has become a spokesperson of the Presidency and APC should quietly exit office,” he stated.
Rufai further accused the INEC chairman of acting without legal justification and called for a public admission of wrongdoing.
“We are telling you that the same way he came out to say he does not recognise the leadership arbitrarily without recourse to any court, the same way he should come out on national television and tell Nigerians that he did this thing in error and the ADC has a leader,” he added.
The youth leader also raised concerns over alleged plans to manipulate the political space ahead of the 2027 elections, warning against what he described as attempts to impose a single presidential candidate.
“They are saying Tinubu will be sole candidate in 2027 and we are saying no, we will not accept that. Amupitan must go,” Rufai declared.
The protest underscores rising tensions between the ADC and INEC over leadership recognition, an issue that could affect the party’s preparations and participation in the next election cycle if not resolved.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not released an official response to the allegations.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the ADC vowed to intensify its campaign against Professor Amupitan, announcing plans to submit petitions to foreign governments, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and other relevant institutions.
In a statement issued by the party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC insisted that the INEC chairman should resign immediately, citing what it described as “incontrovertible digital evidence” that allegedly casts doubt on his neutrality.
According to the party, the controversy followed a report linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet made in 2023 to Professor Amupitan, a development the ADC described as a serious threat to public trust in Nigeria’s electoral credibility.
The party warned that the legitimacy of any electoral process depends not only on institutional independence but also on public perception of fairness, insisting that any compromise could weaken confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
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