The caucus of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) within the Home of Representatives has requested President Bola Tinubu to sack and prosecute the chairman of the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, over alleged partisanship.
The caucus made the demand on Monday via Hon. Afam Ogene, its chief.
Ogene mentioned latest actions and alleged statements linked to Amupitan have raised issues about his neutrality forward of the 2027 elections.
His phrases: “The caucus raised issues concerning the impartiality and neutrality of the Chairman of the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee, Prof Joash Amupitan, to supervise a free, honest, and credible 2027 normal elections. This follows latest public statements and actions by the chairman which have been deemed compromising, partisan, and conflicted.
“It has been alleged that he beforehand made a partisan assertion on his private X account, whereby he expressed help for the ruling All Progressives Congress. Moreover, he has been accused of posting content material alleging Christian genocide in Nigeria.
“Though INEC has denied that Prof Amupitan is the proprietor of the X account in query, digital forensic evaluation and different on-line investigations by varied sources counsel that the account is certainly his and that the telephone quantity used to create it’s registered in his identify.
“This has raised issues concerning his transparency, integrity, and trustworthiness, notably given the essential nature of the workplace he holds, which could have far-reaching implications for the nation.
“In gentle of those inconsistencies and issues concerning impartiality and integrity, the Home caucus, on Monday, April 13, 2026, hereby requires the removing of Prof Amupitan from workplace and advocates for his prosecution, with a view to safeguard the nation towards an avoidable descent into undemocratic practices.”
The caucus linked its place to the management disaster inside the celebration, accusing INEC of worsening divisions inside the ADC via its actions.
The lawmakers mentioned the dispute centres on the removing of Senator David Mark because the recognised chief of the celebration.
They mentioned Mark had beforehand been acknowledged by INEC because the genuine chief of the ADC, noting that the fee later withdrew that recognition and allegedly backed a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala.
The lawmakers mentioned the event triggered inner divisions and authorized battles and warned that the disaster might forestall the celebration from fielding candidates within the 2027 elections.
“The caucus is gravely involved concerning the ostensibly undemocratic motion taken by INEC, underneath the management of Prof Amupitan, which seems to disclaim the ADC the chance to take part within the forthcoming elections. That is being achieved via the perpetuation of a management disaster inside the celebration, whereby INEC has abdicated its duty as an neutral arbiter and as a substitute intervened within the celebration’s inner affairs.
“Particularly, the fee appears to be recognising an illegitimate management faction, opposite to the genuine management of Senator David Mark, which had beforehand been acknowledged and licensed by INEC itself, having met the requisite standards, as evidenced by a latest affidavit issued by the fee.
“We word that the fee, in collusion with sure parts inside the judiciary, is actively working to undermine the aspirations of the ADC, thereby stopping the celebration from fielding candidates within the forthcoming elections, via duplicitous signifies that serve to impede inclusivity inside the democratic course of.
“Actually, credible info at our disposal means that sure people inside the judiciary and INEC are collaborating to affect the result of a case developing on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, concerning the management query within the ADC, probably impacting the popularity of a discredited faction,” Ogene mentioned.