Amupitan’s time to win it or lose it all, By Emmanuel Nnadozi…

Nigeria has fully entered an election circle given that the constitutionally empowered agency to organise, oversee and deliver the general election in January 2027, has already blown the whistle for the commencement of political activities.

Political parties have already started serious preparations even though the internal crises foisted by external forces linked to either Nyesom Wike the minister of FCT or directly to the office of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have yet to abate. The judiciary that has become a self-inflicted victim of state capture have become totally pliant to the whims and caprices of President Tinubu together with the spineless National Assembly headed by erstwhile Akwa Ibom state governor whose investigation files for heists of billions of Akwa Ibom state’s money is cooling off under the desk of the seemingly politically controlled Chairman of the Economic abd Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Judges have already been compromised by the FCT minister through the president by awarding them exotic Abuja housing assets to judges of Federal High Court and Justices of Coury of Appeal. The judiciary gets her funding directing from the Federation accounts and therefore does not go cap in hand to the executive to beg for funds. But the FCT minister who was looking to pocket the judiciary deviced a methodology of capturing these corrupt minded and ethically challenged judges by donating free houses worth several billions of Naira to judges. In the case of the Federal High Court, the chief judge John Tsoho who has corruption allegations around his neck, went to the FCT minister to beg for hoyses and lands for his judges. Such impudence!

The All Progressives Congress which has virtually swallowed all other parties elected office holders, has already held a kangaroo National Convention to re-produce the same hand-picked National officers just as the faction of the opposition PDP donated by the courts of Abuja and the Amupitan led INEC to Nyesom Wike also had a very choreographed National Convention even when the other half of the PDP supported by the only few governors still remaining in PDP, has gone to the Supreme Court to attempt to wrestle the heart of their party from Wike who is an agent provocateur and has openly stated that he wants to destroy PDP in such a way that it will lie prostrate and unable to produce a presidential candidate viable and trustworthy enough to pose any sort of significant challenge to Wike’s political boss President Tinubu of the APC.

There are lots of contradictions on how the courts and the INEC are manipulated externally to destroy political opposition and it seems that the electoral management body headed by a former University Don Professor Joseph Ojo Amupitan(SAN) is in the gane actively to sabotage next year’s poll.

Amupitan appointed President Tinubu’s erstwhile aide as his chief of staff. Does that tell us where the pendulum would swing regarding the coming general elections? Are we going to see the saying that the piper dictates the tunes? Will Tinubu teleguide Amupitan to deliver a shallow and hijacked general election in January of the next year which is just less than 6 months away? Professor Amupitan, the ball is in your court and this general election would make or destroy your legacies forever. Will Amupitan think of preserving the integrity of his family name? Time shall tell.

Professor Amupitan led INEC has already conducted the governorship poll in Anambra State and from the look of things, that election was marred by votes buying and other fraudulent exercises. The Professor has already created a windstorm and wild storm of controversy by electing to destabilise the only viable opposition political party that has the capacity to challenge President Tinubu the incumbent in the coming election. INEC interfered in the internal affairs of the African Democratic Congress by dabbling into an issue that an interloper began after he alongside other former national executive Council members of the former ADC agreed to cede control of the party to a coalition of very strong opposition politicians. The coming into being of the now viable ADC was overseen by the same INEC that its new chairman is using to destroy a party it midwifed into being as an active observer.

INEC to Remove Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola from Its Official Portal, Suspends Recognition of ADC Leadership Until Court Case Ends:

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced it will remove the names of Senator David Mark (National Chairman) and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (National Secretary) from its official portal for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

This error-prone decision is in bad fate if you ask me. When has Amupitan become the interpreter of court rulings? This is considered the voice of Essau but the hand of Jacob meaning that INEC was coerced and blackmailed by President Tinubu and his APC party leaders to destabilise ADC the moments bigger Northern politicians jumped into ADC such as Musa Kwankwaso who was lured and begged by APC to join them from his party that hitherto won Kano state which the same APC blackmailed the governor with anti-graft agency EFCC allegedly that made him crossed over to APC.

So when Senator Musa Kwankwaso who is considered one of the greatest political tactician from Kano state who controls large army of actual voters, the government used Amupitan to strike at the heart of ADC. Amupitan is insistent that his partisan and biased interference into the leadership structure of ADC is correct. But Nigerians who can decipher political currents, know better.

INEC’s decision, contained in an official press release issued twi days ago by National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna (Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee), aims to comply with preservatory orders from the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026: Senator David Mark v Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe & Ors. Amupitan, you are dead wrong. You have no power to determine who leads a political party or do you belong to the ADC as members? INEC showed her partisanship in the following way that will be stated below.

However, INEC under Amupitan entertained bunch of protesters hired by APC to claim the leadership of ADC for the time being, but had to beg Tinubu to send soldiers, DSS and armed goons to cordon off INEC office in Maitama from being accessed by protesters supporting the General David Mark led hierarchy of ADC. This is a clear sign that INEC is being controlled from Asorock.

ADC rejects INEC’s interpretation of A’Court judgment:

The African Democratic Congress has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling on the party’s leadership dispute.

The party claimed that the interpretation is contradictory and influenced by external pressure.

ADC National Spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the position known in a statement issued on Wednesday, in reaction to INEC’s decision to delist the party’s National Working Committee.

Reacting, Abdullahi said INEC’s position does not reflect the facts of the case and raises concerns about impartiality.

“We reject INEC’s interpretation of the Court of Appeal ruling.

General David Mark the National Chairman of ADC alongside other credible heavyweights like Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Atiku Abubakar former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had also accused the INEC under Amupitan of dancing to the tunes played for it by President Tinubu who is afraid of a free and fair election in January 2027.

As it is, the credibility of INEC is beginning to be tainted and must be halted by the officials and especially by the Chairman who is the CEO of INEC and therefore responsibility for any decisions rest on his desk.

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Another agenda of INEC that is questionable is the proposed revalidation of voters. Why should INEC always revalidate voters register when registered voters who voted only 3 years ago still possess their valid voters cards? This late hour revalidation is seen as an agenda to weed out millions of voters vexed by the collapsed national economy and insecurity and therefore warming up to deal with the bad leader Bola Ahmed Tinubu so his anointed head of the electoral management body has been compelled to take steps to weed out voters.

INEC’s revalidation exercises are often chaotic and not well coordinated and most times their computers are deliberately sabotaged to deny many voters of their voting right. Why is INEC conducting revalidation of voters by the eleventh hour to the next election in which the incumbent is afraid that if free and transparent poll is conducted, he may be dethroned?

All these maradonic actions of Amupitan has questioned the truth in the initial promise he made to Nigerians when he was picked out of nowhere by Tinubu to become the chief electoral manager of Nigeria.

2027: Free, fair polls non-negotiable, Amupitan tells INEC staff:

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), had on assumption of office after his surprised appointment asked staff of the commission to brace up for the task of delivering a free, fair, and credible poll, saying it is the only thing that would erase the trust deficit around the commission.

He said the commission is determined to strengthen and deepen the country’s democratic process and restore the trust of the people ahead of 2027.

Amupitan stated this in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, while addressing INEC staff at the commission’s secretariat after inspecting the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise in some local government areas of the state.

He said INEC would collaborate with the National Population Commission and other relevant agencies to track Nigerians of registrable age and ensure they take advantage of the CVR exercise.

“As we build up to 2027, I want to announce that we are in it together to serve Nigeria and strengthen democracy. Though INEC is already having a trust deficit, whatever we are doing in Abuja, we have to cascade it here.

“We should work hard to restore the trust. We know state congresses are ongoing and some of you are part of it — please, any activity you are handling, do it with every honesty and utmost courtesy.

“What you are doing today will determine the 2027 elections. If you want to determine the future, you create it. What we owe Nigerians is free, fair and credible elections; let their expectations be met. We want Nigerians to begin to believe in INEC, that whoever emerges is the will of the people,” he said.

Amupitan also disclosed that the commission would embark on a voters revalidation exercise to have accurate data of those eligible to vote, stating that those who had died or whose names should not be on the register would be removed.

“The register should be sanitised,” he added.

He charged all INEC staff to join in creating awareness about the ongoing voter registration exercise, saying it should not be left to the Voter Education and Publicity unit alone.

“Encourage and galvanise them to come out while assuring them that their votes will count,” he said.

Responding, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Obo Effanga, thanked the chairman for visiting the polling units and interacting with staff, promising to ensure the commission delivers on its mandate ahead of 2027.

The chairman visited some CVR registration centres in Ikot Ekpene and Uyo, where he received complaints about network challenges and login problems, which he assured would be resolved.

He expressed satisfaction at the turnout of young people for the registration exercise and called for more voter education in the state. Tinubu funnily said he appointed Amupitan because he has no political leaning. But now we are seeing where AMUPITAN’S pendulum is beginning to swing. He, Amupitan should desist or Nigerians should rise to defend their constitutional right to freedom to elect their leaders or contest for offices subject to the free and fair election and voting by Nigerians who own the SOVEREIGNTY of Nigeria.

My warning to Amupitan is that apart of ruining his family name, he stand to draw Nigeria into a civil war should he continue to be teleguided by President Tinubu and All Progressives Congress to manipulate the 2027 poll. Nigerians are well energised and ready to fight for their political and human rights. INEC be warned, do not push Nigerians to the walls to avoid a catastrophic reactions which are natural. Professor Amupitan, you are a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and you are a respected professor of law. You will never starve. So, why soil your good name for money? Money didn’t buy you the good name that you have built for yourself, so do not be lured by millions of dollars that APC is ready to offer, to soil and taint your good name. We know that you are a good man. So, continue to be good.

*EMMANUEL NNADOZIE ONWUBIKO is the founder of HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and was NATIONAL COMMISSIONER OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF NIGERIA (NHRC).

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