Dare Babalola
Youths of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are set to hold coordinated protests today at offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos, Ogun and Jigawa states under the ongoing #AmupitanMustGo campaign.
The party’s national youth leader, Balarabe Rufai, disclosed this in a post on X on Monday, sharing flyers announcing the Lagos and Ogun mobilisations, both branded “Operation Occupy INEC.”
According to him, the Lagos demonstration is scheduled to begin at 8:00 am at Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), while the Ogun protest is expected to hold by 11:00 am at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) office in Abeokuta.
As of press time, it remained unclear whether protesters had begun gathering at the INEC office in Lagos.
In a separate post earlier on Thursday, Rufai said ADC youths had already staged a protest at INEC’s Lagos office, where demonstrators displayed placards with various inscriptions.
“Lagos ADC Youth Wing has taken a firm and peaceful stand, occupying INEC to deliver a clear message: the rule of law must be respected, due process must be upheld, Amupitan must resign immediately, and the Senator David Mark-led leadership must be restored without delay,” he wrote.
“This is a call for accountability, not chaos. When institutions fail to act with fairness, citizens have a duty to respond with courage and clarity. The demand is simple: restore integrity or step aside.”
The protests come weeks after a similar mobilisation in Abuja on April 8, when key opposition figures in the ADC, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President David Mark; and former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, staged a demonstration also tagged “Occupy INEC.”
Other participants included Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election Peter Obi, ADC national secretary Rauf Aregbesola, former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former Kogi senator Dino Melaye.
The latest wave of protests follows the April 1 decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission to de-recognise factions within the ADC, citing a March 12 Court of Appeal ruling that ordered the maintenance of the status quo in the party’s leadership dispute.
Demonstrators have continued to accuse INEC of alleged bias, calling for the removal of its chairman, Joash Amupitan, over what they describe as compromised electoral neutrality.
