ABUJA – The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has broken his silence over the explosive leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that the commission’s decision to de-list the David Mark-led faction was a neutral act of “judicial obedience” rather than political sabotage.
Speaking on Friday, April 3, 2026, Amupitan dismissed allegations from the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who had branded the move as “criminal and contemptuous.” Instead, the Chairman argued that the commission was simply following a Court of Appeal order to maintain the status quo—a move he says is designed to save the party from itself.
The “Zamfara Ghost” Returns
“If the David Mark faction is saying that INEC has taken sides, it is not true,” Amupitan declared. “The Court of Appeal said, ‘don’t do anything that will affect the subject matter of the pending case.’ At that stage, we felt it was necessary to look at the complaints of all parties.”
Amupitan warned that the ADC’s plan to defy the commission and proceed with ward-to-national congresses starting April 9 is a “suicide mission.” He pointed to the legal disasters in Zamfara and Plateau, where entire election victories were wiped out by the courts because parties ignored internal leadership illegalities.
Local and International Backlash
Despite the Chairman’s “neutral” stance, the move has triggered a wave of condemnation. In Abuja, hundreds of protesters—largely from the “Obidient” wing of the opposition coalition—gathered near the commission’s headquarters, demanding Amupitan’s immediate resignation for what they termed “the murder of democracy.”
Criticism has also poured in from the international community. A spokesperson for the European Union Election Observation Mission noted with “deep concern” the perceived shrinking of the democratic space in Nigeria, urging INEC to ensure its actions do not “inadvertently stifle legitimate opposition voices” ahead of 2027.
Closer to home, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room slammed the timing of INEC’s decision. “To de-list a functioning NWC while a case is pending feels less like ‘neutrality’ and more like a pre-emptive strike,” the group stated in a Friday morning briefing.
A Tense Countdown to April 9
The ADC remains unmoved by Amupitan’s warnings. The party maintains that because their April 9 congress notification was officially acknowledged by INEC, the commission cannot retroactively “un-acknowledge” it.
With Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi warning of “Gestapo” tactics and Nasir El-Rufai calling for President Tinubu’s impeachment over alleged illegal ₦100 billion monthly deductions, the ADC-INEC standoff has become the frontline of a broader war for Nigeria’s democracy.
As the clock ticks toward the April 9 ward congresses, the question remains: is Amupitan protecting the “sanctity of the ballot,” or is he, as critics claim, clearing the runway for a one-party state?
