The African Democratic Congress caucus in the House of Representatives has called for the removal and prosecution of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, over allegations of partisanship and compromised neutrality ahead of the 2027 general elections . The lawmakers made their position known following their inaugural meeting held on Sunday, April 12, 2026, where they reviewed recent political developments and expressed deep concern about the credibility of the electoral umpire . In a strongly worded resolution read by caucus leader Afam Ogene, the lawmakers accused Amupitan of exhibiting actions and making statements deemed inconsistent with the expectations of an impartial electoral body head, citing allegations that he previously operated a personal X account where he reportedly expressed support for the ruling All Progressives Congress and shared controversial content relating to claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria . Although INEC has denied any link between Amupitan and the account, the ADC caucus insisted that digital forensic analysis and online investigations suggest otherwise, raising questions about his integrity, transparency, and suitability for such a sensitive national role .
The caucus further alleged that under Amupitan’s leadership, INEC has taken steps that could deny the ADC fair participation in upcoming elections, accusing the commission of interfering in the party’s internal affairs by recognising what they described as an illegitimate leadership faction contrary to the faction led by former Senate President David Mark . The lawmakers argued that the commission’s actions amount to a breach of its constitutional role as an independent arbiter and risk plunging the nation into undemocratic practices, warning that his continued stay in office posed a threat to the credibility of the 2027 general election . They also alleged collusion between certain officials of INEC and members of the judiciary to influence the outcome of a pending court case concerning the party’s leadership dispute, scheduled for hearing on April 14, 2026 .
The caucus cited provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly Section 83(5), arguing that courts lack jurisdiction over internal party matters and warning against what it described as judicial overreach . In a further escalation, the lawmakers vowed to petition the National Judicial Council over what they termed the compromise and malfeasance of some judicial officers, calling for investigations and possible removal of judges allegedly influenced by political interests . They referenced recent remarks by Nigerian Bar Association President Afam Osigwe, who had raised concerns about growing perceptions of judicial bias and undue political influence, including the controversial practice of politicians gifting vehicles to judges . “The office of the INEC chairman is too critical to be tainted by allegations of partisanship,” the caucus stated .
The lawmakers’ demand comes as a Daily Trust fact-check investigation found “credible evidence that an X account previously operated under the handle @joashamupitan, with a consistent digital history and authentic posts,” rating the claim linking the account to Amupitan as “mostly true” . The account, created on September 6, 2022, was renamed to @Sundayvibe00 on April 10, 2026, amid controversy, and later locked and labelled a “Parody Account” . Posts from the account included “They are evil in the 24th century” on March 17, 2023, “Victory is sure” on March 18, 2023, and “Asiwaju” on April 25, 2023 . Despite INEC’s denial that the account belonged to Amupitan, the ADC caucus insisted that his continued tenure compromises public trust and demanded his immediate removal, describing the situation as an “existential threat” to Nigeria’s democracy .
