A prominent chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Joemartins Uzodike, has sharply criticized Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging him to resign immediately for allegedly failing Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Uzodike, a lawyer, made the remarks in response to INEC’s decision to withdraw recognition of the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the ADC. He described Amupitan’s handling of the matter as “disgraceful and mischievous,” accusing the INEC chairman of bias and misinterpreting a court order despite his credentials as a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
The ADC stalwart faulted INEC for relying on an application from an individual, Nafiu Bala, whom he said lacks a secretary or any known executive committee, thereby creating a leadership vacuum in the opposition party. He argued that this action demonstrated “deliberate ignorance” of the legal principle of status quo ante bellum, which requires maintaining the situation that existed before the court case.
“You’ve failed Nigerians even before the election,” Uzodike declared. “I have been around in this country since independence and have actively participated in many elections. I make bold to say that an electoral umpire has never descended so brazenly and carelessly into the arena as we are witnessing now.”
He questioned how a legal scholar like Amupitan could fail to understand the court’s directive that the existing leadership should remain in place pending the resolution of the matter. “The court simply said whoever was in office should remain pending the determination of the matter, but Amupitan’s INEC is saying the ADC does not exist,” he added.
This latest criticism adds to growing calls from the ADC for Amupitan’s resignation or removal, amid allegations that INEC is interfering in internal party affairs and undermining democracy ahead of 2027.
The development highlights ongoing tensions between the opposition party and the electoral body following INEC’s stance on the ADC leadership dispute.
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