The Obidient Movement has announced a nationwide protest demanding the resignation of INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan. This follows INEC's involvement in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership crisis, which the group says has undermined trust in the electoral body. In a statement released Wednesday, the movement accused INEC of losing its impartiality and operating as a compromised institution under the current administration. "There are moments in the life of a nation when silence becomes dangerous and inaction becomes complicity. Nigeria has arrived at such a moment," the statement said.
The group claims opposition parties face increasing pressure, threatening Nigeria's multi-party system. It cited "gross abuse of office, loss of public trust, and failure to uphold the neutrality required of that office" as grounds for Amupitan's resignation. Other demands include an end to political persecution and full respect for party autonomy. The protest, tagged #OccupyINEC, will take place across all states and the Federal Capital Territory. In Abuja, participants will gather at the ADC national headquarters before marching peacefully to INEC's headquarters. The movement stressed the action will be lawful and peaceful, describing it as a civic duty to protect Nigeria's democracy.
A protest calling for the removal of Joash Amupitan over INEC's role in a party crisis reveals how deeply public confidence in the electoral body has eroded. When a commission meant to referee political disputes becomes entangled in them, its authority dissolves regardless of legal standing. For ordinary Nigerians, this moment signals that institutional trust is now tied more to perception than procedure. A crisis of legitimacy, once ignited, cannot be decreed away.
