ADC Reps Demand INEC Chairman’s Removal, Threaten Legal Firestorm
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) caucus in the House of Representatives has called for the removal and prosecution of INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, over alleged partisanship ahead of the 2027 elections.
The lawmakers made the call at a press briefing on Monday in Abuja, following the resolution of the caucus at its inaugural meeting held on April 12.
Led by Afam Ogene, the ADC lawmakers raised concerns about threats to Nigeria’s democracy and questioned Amupitan’s neutrality, citing alleged links to a partisan social media account, claims INEC has denied.
The caucus said Amupitan’s continued leadership could undermine the credibility of the 2027 polls and accused INEC of interfering in ADC’s internal leadership dispute by recognizing a faction they consider illegitimate.
The lawmakers also alleged collusion between INEC officials and some judicial officers regarding a pending court case, and announced plans to petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) over alleged judicial misconduct.
The lawmakers said “The Caucus is gravely concerned about the ostensibly undemocratic actions taken by INEC, under the leadership of Prof. Amupitan, which appears to deny the ADC the opportunity to participate in the forthcoming elections.”
“This is being achieved through the perpetuation of a leadership crisis within the party, whereby INEC has abdicated its responsibility as an impartial arbiter and instead intervened in the party’s internal affairs.”
“Specifically, the commission seems to be recognizing an illegitimate leadership faction, contrary to the authentic leadership of Senator David Mark, which had previously been acknowledged and certified by INEC itself, having met the requisite criteria, as evidenced by a recent affidavit issued by the Commission.”
“We note that the Commission, in collusion with certain elements within the judiciary, is actively working to undermine the aspirations of the ADC, thereby preventing the party from fielding candidates in the forthcoming elections, through duplicitous means that serve to obstruct inclusivity within the democratic process.”
” In fact, credible information at our disposal suggest that certain individuals within the judiciary and INEC are collaborating to influence the outcome of a case coming up on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 regarding the leadership question in the ADC, potentially impacting the recognition of a discredited faction.”
Aligning with concerns raisuiued by NBA President Afam Osigwe, the lawmakers warned that declining trust in electoral and judicial institutions poses a serious risk to Nigeria’s democracy. They urged citizens and stakeholders to defend democratic values.
