Dare Babalola
The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has called for the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, over allegations of political bias.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Abdullahi described as “disturbing” reports linking the INEC chairman to a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet allegedly made in 2023, arguing that the development undermines public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“The recent revelation linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet of 2023 to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission is not merely disturbing, it is a grave affront to the integrity of our electoral system,” Abdullahi said.
He stressed that electoral umpires must not only be independent but must also be perceived as such, noting that any suggestion of partisanship erodes the credibility of elections.
“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,” he added.
Abdullahi further alleged attempts to manipulate digital records linked to the controversy, describing it as a serious breach of accountability.
“This is not a trivial matter. It is a calculated assault on truth and accountability. A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions,” he said.
The ADC spokesman maintained that Professor Amupitan’s continued stay in office is untenable, likening the situation to a referee openly supporting one of the teams in a match.
“The referee cannot be running around in the shirt of one of the teams he’s supposed to officiate,” he stated.
He concluded with a firm demand for immediate action, declaring, “This is why Professor Amupitan must resign. Now. Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy.”
Abdullahi also disclosed that the ADC would escalate its response to the development, including updating petitions to relevant institutions such as the Nigerian Bar Association and foreign governments.
He added that the party would “renew and escalate” civil disobedience actions until the INEC chairman vacates office.
The allegations against the INEC chairman have continued to generate reactions from political actors, particularly within opposition circles, raising fresh concerns over the perceived neutrality of the electoral body ahead of future elections.
