By Suleiman Anyalewechi.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Saturday, insisted on the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, over an alleged tweet which indicated his political affiliation with the President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressive Congress, APC.
This is as the ADC accused him of desperately attempting to alter digital records to conceal his alleged partisan posture and past political affiliations.
The ADC’s stance however is coming , despite Amupitan’s plea of innocence.
The Source reports that the media space has been saturated with reports of past pro-Tinubu online tweets particularly during the 2023 general elections linked, allegedly, to the INEC Chairman.
The revelation expectedly has ignited widespread indignation and condemnations, with not a few, including individuals and groups calling for the immediate resignation of Amupitan over fears that his alleged compromised position may not allow for the conduct of free, fair and credible polls in 2027.
But a statement on Friday from Adedayo Oketola, INEC Chairman’s spokesperson, dismissed the allegation of Amupitan’s tweet as false ,and unfounded.
Oketola, while distancing the INEC Chairman from any pro-Tinubu online tweets, described the allegation as the handiwork of detractors out to distract him from the task ahead.
He emphasized that Amupitan has never, in his life, operated an X account.
“To clarify, the INEC Chairman does not possess, or manage any personal account on X.
” He has never engaged in partisan commentary, nor has he ever aligned himself with any political bias or activity in either his private or public roles”, Oketola stated.
However, the ADC in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, while insisting on Amupitan’s resignation, expressed concern that the social media posts allegedly linked to him has raised serious doubt about the credibility of the electoral umpire.
The party maintained that the development , which Amupitan has been struggling to cover has severely hampered and undermined public confidence in the INEC ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the ADC, the INEC’s Chairman’s moves to alter digital records with a view to concealing past political affiliations, represents a clear threat to the twin principles of transparency and accountability.
Abdullahi warned that an electoral umpire must not only be independent ,but also be widely perceived as unbiased at all times.
He insisted that anything to the contrary will inevitably erode public trust and confidence, as well as undermine the electoral process.
The ADC posited that Amupitan’s conducts and alleged partisan disposition fell short of the minimum acceptable standards for someone saddled with the task of conducting elections in a democratic system.
The party, therefore, called on the INEC Chairman to immediately resign from office, warning that anything to the contrary amounts to an insult on the Nigerian people.
The party also warned that it will not relent in its efforts until the INEC chairman is eased out of office.
The party threatened to escalate civil disobedience actions until Amupitan steps down from office.
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