The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, over an alleged pro-President Bola Tinubu tweet linked to him in 2023.
The party made the demand in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, accusing the INEC boss of actions capable of undermining the credibility and neutrality of the electoral body.
The controversy followed intense criticism directed at the INEC chairman over social media posts from 2023 allegedly linked to his 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) account, which appeared to show support for President Bola Tinubu.
The ADC said attempts to erase the alleged digital trail raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability within the electoral system.
The party had earlier raised the alarm about what it described as a plot to impose a one-party state ahead of the 2027 general elections, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress of using INEC to weaken opposition parties.
Reacting to the allegations on Friday, Amupitan denied owning the account or authoring the posts in question.
He insisted that he had never been affiliated with any political party and had never worked for one.
However, the ADC said the explanation was unconvincing and maintained that the issue raises serious questions about the impartiality expected of an electoral umpire.
Abdullahi stressed that anyone responsible for conducting elections must be completely independent and free from political bias.
“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,” he said.
He also alleged that efforts were being made to tamper with digital records linked to the controversy.
“More troubling is the desperate attempt to tamper with digital records to erase evidence of his previous partisanship. This is not a trivial matter. It is a calculated assault on truth and accountability,” Abdullahi stated.
The ADC argued that the situation had fallen far below the standard expected of the country’s electoral body.
“A man who manipulates records to save himself cannot be trusted to safeguard the mandate of millions.
“The referee cannot be running around in the shirt of one of the teams he is supposed to officiate in a match,” the party spokesman said.
The party insisted that the INEC chairman must step down immediately.
“This is why Professor Amupitan must resign now. Anything less is an insult to the Nigerian people and a dangerous precedent for our democracy,” Abdullahi added.
He also disclosed that the party would update its petitions to relevant institutions.
“Relying on this evidence, ADC will be updating our petitions to all relevant institutions, including foreign governments and the Nigerian Bar Association,” he said.