Opposition parties have demanded the immediate resignation of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Joash Amupitan, accusing him of partisanship in favour of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The demand was contained in a communique signed by several opposition leaders and read by factional Peoples Democratic Party national chairman Tanimu Turaki at a summit in Ibadan on Saturday.
“We believe that INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, having shown biased and open partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not be allowed to conduct the 2027 general elections, as Nigerians have lost confidence in his capacity to guarantee the neutrality required to deliver a free, fair, transparent and credible election,” the communique said.
Mr Amupitan has been criticised after screenshots on X appeared to show an account allegedly belonging to him expressing support for President Bola Tinubu shortly after INEC declared Tinubu president in 2023. The development provoked controversy, and Mr Amupitan denied the allegations, saying the screenshots were fabricated to impugn his integrity.
Mr Turaki warned that the electoral chairman’s continued stay in office amid the allegations could spark widespread violence. “His continued stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering a crisis in our nation,” he said.
The opposition also asked INEC to extend the deadline for primaries to the end of July 2026, accusing the commission of issuing guidelines intended to disadvantage opposition parties. “We consider the recent guidelines released by INEC as obstacles deliberately engineered as conditions and deadlines against opposition parties. We therefore demand that INEC extends the deadline for primaries till the end of July 2026,” Mr Turaki said.
The Ibadan summit was convened to forge a united front ahead of future political contests amid what opposition leaders described as an APC plot to disrupt their activities and contest the 2027 election unchallenged.
Among those present were former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi; former Senate President David Mark; former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso; and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola. Participating parties included the Peoples Redemption Party, Labour Party, Accord Party, All Progressives Movement (APM), Youth Party (YP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP), among others.
