The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called Joash Amupitan, on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to resign, threatening to escalate civil disobedience if he fails to step down.
The opposition party made the demand on Saturday while reacting to fresh allegations linking the INEC chairman to past social media posts perceived to show bias in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The controversy followed a column by US-based Nigerian scholar, Farooq Kperogi, who alleged that archived posts from an X account bearing Amupitan’s name expressed pro-APC sentiments, including support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In response, Adedayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, dismissed the claims, warning about impersonators and cybercriminals spreading misinformation online. He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to credible elections and urged the public to rely on verified communication channels.
However, the issue has continued to generate reactions across social media, with opinions divided over the authenticity of the alleged posts.
Reacting, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesman, described the allegations as a serious threat to electoral integrity.
“The recent revelation linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet of 2023 to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission is not merely disturbing, it is a grave affront to the integrity of our electoral system,” he said.
“In a democracy, the umpire must be above suspicion. He must not only be independent, he must be seen, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be independent.”
Abdullahi further alleged attempts to tamper with digital records, describing it as a calculated effort to erase evidence of partisanship.
“A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions. This is why Professor Amupitan must resign. Now. Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy,” he added.
He said the party would escalate its actions, including petitions to relevant institutions and foreign bodies, and intensify civil disobedience until the INEC chairman vacates office.
