The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has renewed its demand for the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, following a Supreme Court ruling on Thursday that confirmed the party’s legitimate leadership.
Despite the court’s decision in their favour, the party insists that the INEC Chairman must step down due to previous attempts to de-recognise the leadership of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
The Supreme Court’s five-man panel issued a unanimous judgement, which the ADC described as a victory for the rule of law.
The party stated that the ruling proves its leadership structure was always legitimate and that INEC’s previous actions were fundamentally flawed.
The ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a press statement released on Thursday, addressed the party’s stance regarding the electoral umpire.
While the party celebrated the court’s validation of its leaders, it argued that the events leading up to the judgement exposed a severe lack of integrity within the commission.
The statement read:
“The ADC reaffirms its long-standing position that Prof. Joash Amupitan, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), must resign.
The circumstances surrounding this matter, now clarified by the Supreme Court, point to either a grave failure of judgment or a deliberate act of bad faith.
Whichever it is, the outcome is the same: the integrity and neutrality required of the office have been compromised.”
The party further emphasised that Nigeria’s electoral process relies heavily on the impartiality of the commission.
According to the ADC, the actions taken by Amupitan regarding their leadership dispute have made it impossible for the party to trust him as an unbiased umpire.
The ADC called on INEC to immediately update its records to recognise Senator David Mark as National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary on its official website and all other communication channels.
Apart from this, the ADC urged its supporters to stay vigilant. The party noted that this court victory should not lead to complacency, as they believe there are still efforts by external forces to weaken opposition voices in Nigeria.
“Democracy is not defended in a single courtroom victory; it is sustained through constant vigilance, active participation, and the courage to resist any attempt to undermine the will of the people,” the statement said.
As of now, INEC has not issued a formal response regarding the demand for its Chairman’s resignation.