Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has rejected allegations by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that the commission is biased in the party's internal leadership crisis. Speaking in an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, Amupitan insisted INEC's stance is rooted in law, not political alignment. He denied any involvement in a supposed plot to establish a one-party state, stating, "I am not guilty as charged. I am not a party to any plan to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. By the Constitution, Nigeria is a multi-party state. Look at the last election — multiple parties contested. This is Nigeria. This is law, not politics."
Amupitan explained that INEC's refusal to recognise either faction in the ADC stems from existing Court of Appeal rulings and active preservation orders. He warned that non-compliance with court directives could disqualify parties from elections, citing past precedents. The chairman defended the ongoing voter register revalidation exercise, noting it began before his tenure and targets the current database of approximately 93 million voters. A two-phase validation process involving stakeholder consultations and field testing is underway ahead of the 2027 general elections. Conflicting claims from rival ADC factions, he said, prompted INEC to consult legal and operational teams before making decisions.
Amupitan's insistence on legal technicalities sidesteps the deeper issue of public trust — when court orders become the sole shield against accusations of bias, it signals a system where perception matters less than procedure. His reference to 93 million registered voters rings hollow amid widespread concerns over the register's accuracy. For Nigerian voters, the real takeaway is not INEC's legal compliance but its persistent inability to project neutrality beyond the courtroom. This performance, cloaked in jurisprudence, does little to reassure a sceptical electorate.
