The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded the immediate resignation of Professor Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), over an alleged partisan social media post.
INEC had, in a statement, denied the allegations, saying that they were “false and malicious.”
In a statement on X on Saturday, Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson of the party, described the development as a “grave affront” to the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system.
The party said reports linking the INEC chairman to a pro-Bola Tinubu tweet in 2023 raise serious concerns about his neutrality.
ADC also alleged an attempt to tamper with digital records to erase evidence of partisanship, describing it as a threat to transparency and accountability.
“More troubling is the desperate attempt to tamper with digital records, to erase evidence of his previous partisanship. This is not a trivial matter. It is a calculated assault on truth and accountability,” the statement read.
The party argued that an electoral umpire must not only be independent but must also be seen to be independent, insisting that Amupitan has fallen below the expected standard.
“A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions,” it added.
ADC said the alleged actions of the INEC chairman undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
“The referee cannot be running around in the shirt of one of the teams he’s supposed to officiate,” the party said.
The opposition party said it would escalate the matter by updating its petitions to relevant institutions, including foreign governments and the Nigerian Bar Association.
It also threatened to intensify civil disobedience until the INEC chairman resigns.
“This is why Professor Amupitan must resign. Now. Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy,” the statement added.
