Alleged partisanship: ADC threatens to escalate civil disobedience until INEC chair resigns

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has threatened to intensify its civil disobedience campaign until the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, resigns over allegations of partisanship.

The opposition party’s demand follows the circulation of alleged past social media posts suggesting support for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Although Prof. Amupitan, through his spokesman, Adedayo Oketola, has denied responsibility for the posts, attributing them to cybercriminal activity, many Nigerians on social media have rejected the explanation, arguing that the digital evidence appears compelling.

In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the allegations as a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system.

“The recent revelation linking a pro-Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweet of 2023 to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Amupitan, is not merely disturbing, it is a grave affront to the integrity of our electoral system,” the statement read.

The party stressed that electoral officials must not only be independent but also be seen to be impartial at all times.

“In a democracy, the umpire must be above suspicion. He must not only be independent, he must be seen, beyond any reasonable doubt, to be independent. That is the minimum standard required of anyone entrusted with the sacred duty of conducting free and fair elections,” it added.

The ADC further alleged attempts to manipulate digital records to erase evidence of partisanship, describing such actions as a “calculated assault on truth and accountability.”

“A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions,” the party said, adding that Prof. Amupitan had fallen short of the standards expected of an electoral umpire.

It therefore called for his immediate resignation, warning that failure to step down would undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

“Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy,” the statement said.

The party also disclosed plans to update its petitions to relevant institutions, including foreign bodies and the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, while vowing to escalate its civil disobedience actions until the INEC chairman vacates office.