The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, says the commission will abide by any court ruling on whether former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar can contest the 2027 presidential election.
Amupitan spoke on Thursday at Chatham House in London, responding to a question about Atiku’s eligibility if he fails to overturn a court judgment concerning the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He said he was constitutionally bound to obey court orders, particularly those of the Supreme Court, regardless of their political implications.
“If he eventually fails, well, I’m obligated under Section 285 of the Constitution of Nigeria to obey every court order, especially if it is from the Supreme Court,” he said.
Amupitan also expressed concern about the number of pending cases involving INEC as preparations for the 2027 general election gather pace.
He said the commission had more than 300 cases pending against it, while an election in an earlier dispute he referenced was only about 66 days away.
“Some of those issues we have with court cases, over 300 cases hanging on the neck of INEC, and elections is just about 66 days away,” he said.
Amupitan said INEC had supported an accelerated hearing of the ADC leadership dispute, arguing that pre-election cases should be resolved early enough for the commission to plan its logistics.
“When it happened in April, the position of the commission was that the matter should be resolved within three weeks,” he said.
He added that INEC had acted on a court directive to suspend action and await the outcome of the legal process, but the case later proceeded to appeal.
The INEC chairman called for reforms to prevent pre-election disputes from disrupting preparations, proposing that such cases should be concluded at least six months—or preferably a year—before an election.
“I had advocated in several fora that pre-election matters should abate at least a year before the election, or let’s say six months, so that we can fix our logistics,” he said.
Amupitan said INEC had already begun procuring sensitive election materials, making unresolved legal disputes a significant concern. He warned that the commission could face public criticism when implementing court decisions, even when it was simply complying with the law.
“The danger is that whenever there is such a decision, and it’s you who has to implement it, you become the problem. The problem is transferred to you,” he said.
The Federal High Court nullified the leadership of the ADC faction led by former Senate President David Mark, raising questions about the validity of Atiku’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate.
The ADC has said it will challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.
