₦airaland Forum

ABUJA — The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, to resign immediately over allegations of partisanship, warning that he no longer commands the credibility required to oversee the 2027 general elections.

The group, which includes prominent figures such as Dr Usman Bugaje, Barrister Femi Falana (SAN), Dr Oby Ezekwesili, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, Professor Pat Utomi, Hadjia Dr Bilikisu Magoro and Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, among others, said the integrity of the electoral body must not be compromised.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its Media Coordinator, Comrade James Ezema, the MCE urged Professor Amupitan to step aside to allow for an independent and transparent investigation into the allegations against him.

The group also called on the Federal Government to constitute an impartial panel comprising judicial officers, digital forensic experts and civil society representatives to ascertain the truth, while demanding an end to any form of intimidation or harassment of citizens raising concerns.

“The integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process is at stake,” the statement said. “At this critical juncture in the nation’s democratic evolution, the leadership of INEC must be beyond reproach.”

The MCE said recent developments, including alleged digital footprints linking the INEC Chairman to partisan expressions sympathetic to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had triggered a crisis of confidence.

While noting that Professor Amupitan had denied the allegations, the group insisted that such denials do not resolve the matter in an era of advanced digital forensics, but rather heighten the need for thorough verification.

“In this digital age, denial is not a defence—it is an invitation to forensic scrutiny,” the statement added.

The group further warned that the controversy could escalate into a legal crisis, citing the traceability of digital identities through systems such as the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN), as well as device-level access logs maintained by digital platforms.

According to the MCE, attempts to frame public scrutiny as cybercrime or to threaten critics with arrest amount to a misuse of state apparatus and could further erode public trust.

Beyond the immediate allegations, the group expressed concern over what it described as a pattern of decisions by INEC that appear to undermine opposition participation, including alleged selective enforcement of electoral regulations.

It warned that such developments risk steering Nigeria towards a de facto one-party state, in violation of constitutional democracy.

The MCE also raised concerns about potential international repercussions, noting that aggrieved parties could seek redress at regional bodies such as the ECOWAS Court, exposing Nigeria to reputational damage and possible sanctions.

It maintained that the allegations, if proven, raise serious ethical questions about Professor Amupitan’s neutrality and fitness for office.

“The only honourable course is for the INEC Chairman to step aside and allow a transparent investigation,” the group stated.


“Nigeria stands at a democratic crossroads. The credibility of its electoral body is central to national stability and the legitimacy of governance.”

Ironfaceman:
Amupitan the crooked dwarf. For how long will you drag the already Disgraced INEC through the mud.

Everybody is calling for amupitans removal. The Muslims groups, the Christian group, civil liberty group, politicians, Academics and even Nairalanders.

But this dwarf is adamant. Very eager to rig elections with his status quo antebellum

God will put amupitan to shame.

Nackzy:
Wetin this man doesn't Una abeg

Apparently, in trying to determine if the X handle @joashamupitan (which quickly morphed into @Sundayvibe00 after its pro-APC tweets surfaced) belongs to INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, some Nigerians attempted to log in by using the “forgot password” route.

When you do that, X asks for a username, email, or phone number. People entered the email and phone number listed in Amupitan’s publicly available CV. Once the account was located, X displayed partial recovery identifiers that matched those same details.

To verify further, they tested the phone number through Opay and GTBank transfers. The name that appeared was “Joash Ojo Amupitan.” It can’t get more unimpeachably factual than that. That is fool-proof institutional data tied to BVN-linked banking records.

For additional confirmation, the number was run through Truecaller, where it shows up as “Joash Ojo Amupitan (Prof).” Truecaller is crowd-sourced, but when it aligns with a CV and bank-verified name, the convergence is hard to dismiss.

Nigerians didn’t stop there. They also sent messages to the email address associated with the account, which is listed in his CV and university profile, urging him to resign. That email address has reportedly now been disabled.

At that point, convinced the pro-Tinubu account belonged to him, people began calling and texting the number until it was switched off.

Then they switched tactics. They started sending ₦1 or ₦10 transfers to his Opay and GTB accounts, using the remarks field to tell him to resign.

So now, in a strange twist, public outrage is padding his bank balance. Imagine millions sending token amounts just to deliver a message. His accounts are getting fatter by the day. Call it an inadvertent money-making tragedy, if you like!

At this point, frankly, denying ownership of the account is becoming unbearably embarrassing and eroding the faintest vestige of credibility Amupitan has. It’s like insisting your hands are clean while they are still inside the cookie jar.

Since resignation is unlikely in Nigeria for conflicts of interest, the next sensible step for Amupitan is candor. He should acknowledge his past support for Tinubu as a private citizen and state that he has since shed partisan loyalties as INEC chairman.

It may not be sincere, but it is infinitely better than this current futile attempt to hide behind his finger hoping people can’t see him in plain sight.

https://www.facebook.com/47904265/posts/10109745222997270/?app=fbl

Ironfaceman:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/04/alleged-partisanship-utomi-falana-others-demand-inec-chair-amupitans-resignation/

floss:
If e sure for Tulumbu, he should put any northerner as Inec chairman…. Just pray the north doesn’t unite for a cause … ondo is your name , sorry I meant iragbiji

happney65:
Dwarf bawo?

Thundafireseun:
Tinubu is not as dull as Jonathan…..

floss:
If e sure for Tulumbu, he should put any northerner as Inec chairman…. Just pray the north doesn’t unite for a cause … ondo is your name , sorry I meant iragbiji

ChiefOloye:
Hmmmm, what a group of bunch of jokers. If Amupitan leaves today, there a thousand people who Asiwaju can pick and they will do the job very well. But Tinubu will never bow to their blackmailing and pressure. Nigeria belong to all of us, so nothing a group of displaced people or desperate politicians can do to make a President quail.
American goes nowhere!

Ironfaceman:
Amupitan the crooked dwarf. For how long will you drag the already Disgraced INEC through the mud.

Everybody is calling for amupitans removal. The Muslims groups, the Christian group, civil liberty group, politicians, Academics and even Nairalanders.

But this dwarf is adamant. Very eager to rig elections with his status quo antebellum

God will put amupitan to shame.

Ironfaceman:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/04/alleged-partisanship-utomi-falana-others-demand-inec-chair-amupitans-resignation/