By Kunle Oshobi
The role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman is perhaps one of the most consequential appointments in Nigeria’s democratic architecture. Whoever occupies that seat holds in their hands the integrity of the electoral process, the trust of millions of voters, and ultimately, the health of Nigeria’s democracy itself. It is a position that demands absolute impartiality, unimpeachable credibility, and a commitment to the rule of law that cannot be compromised, not by political loyalty, not by personal interest, and certainly not by partisan allegiance.
It is against this backdrop that the recent revelations surrounding Joash Amupitan, the current INEC chairman, must be assessed with the seriousness they deserve. What has emerged in recent weeks is not merely a political scandal, it is a constitutional crisis hiding in plain sight, and Nigerians from all walks of life must demand accountability.
The ADC Controversy: A Prelude to Deeper Problems
The first alarm bell rang when Amupitan took the extraordinary step of withdrawing INEC’s recognition of David Mark as the chairman of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC). This decision, which blindsided the party and political observers alike, was justified by the INEC chairman through what many legal experts and constitutional scholars have described as a deliberate misinterpretation of a court ruling.
The timing alone was deeply suspicious. The withdrawal of recognition came just a few weeks before the deadline for party primaries, a critical juncture in the electoral calendar when parties need certainty, stability, and legal clarity to organise their internal processes. To yank the rug from under a political party at such a decisive moment, based on a strained and controversial reading of a judicial pronouncement, was not the action of a neutral umpire. It was the action of someone with an agenda.
When the ADC, understandably, resolved to proceed with their convention regardless of Amupitan’s ruling, he reportedly issued threats against the party. Threats. From the chairman of a body that is constitutionally mandated to be independent and impartial. This alone should have triggered serious questions about his fitness for office. But as Nigerians would soon discover, it was only the beginning of a far more damning story.
The Tweets That Told the Truth
In the age of social media, digital footprints do not lie, even when those who leave them do. Investigations by journalists and civic actors unearthed a trail of tweets, posted from an account belonging to Joash Amupitan during the lead-up to and during the 2023 general elections, that revealed him to be an enthusiastic supporter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of the incumbent president whose electoral fate would, in significant measure, be determined by INEC.
These were not ambiguous or innocuous posts capable of innocent interpretation. They were, by all accounts, clear expressions of political support, the kind of partisan cheerleading that is incompatible with the office of INEC chairman and fundamentally at odds with the oath of impartiality that comes with it.
When these tweets were brought to public attention and Amupitan was confronted with them, his response was not remorse, not transparency, and certainly not the kind of honest reckoning that a man of integrity would offer. Instead, he did what those who have something to hide invariably do, he lied.
Amupitan denied that the account was his. He claimed he had no knowledge of it and was not its owner. It was, he insisted, nothing to do with him.
Then, almost simultaneously, in a sequence of events that could only be described as a panicked cover-up, the Twitter account in question was rapidly renamed, labelled a parody account, and locked from public view.
Ask yourself: who changes the name of an account they claim is not theirs? Who rushes to lock and label as a parody an account they insist they have never owned? The answer, of course, is no one, except the person who does own it and desperately needs to conceal what it contains.
The Smoking Gun: Email and Phone Number
The cover-up, however, was already too late. Investigators have confirmed that the email address and phone number linked to the Twitter account in question are the same legitimate, verifiable contact details belonging to Joash Amupitan. These are not the credentials of an impersonator, a parody artist, or a political opponent attempting a smear. They are his. The account was his. The tweets were his. And the lies that followed are his to own as well.
This is not a matter of ambiguity. It is not a case of “he said, she said” or the kind of murky political allegation that can be waved away. It is a straightforward, evidence-based finding: the INEC chairman was a vocal supporter of the APC, posted that support publicly, and when confronted, attempted to deceive Nigerians about it. His cover-up failed, and the evidence stands.
Why This Demands Resignation
In many democracies, what has been described above would be sufficient, on its own, to trigger immediate resignation or removal from office. In Nigeria, where the wounds of electoral manipulation run deep, where millions of citizens have been disenfranchised or seen their votes devalued across multiple election cycles, the stakes are even higher.
The INEC chairman is not a partisan political officeholder. He is not a minister advancing a government’s policy agenda, nor a lawmaker representing a constituency’s interests. He is the guardian of the vote. He is the guarantor of the process by which Nigerians choose their leaders. The moment he is shown to have a political preference, let alone a documented, provable, social-media-expressed preference, his ability to perform that role is finished. Not damaged. Not compromised. Finished.
Joash Amupitan has now been exposed as a person who, while serving or preparing to serve as INEC chairman, was actively rooting for one political party. That party, the APC, is the party of Nigeria’s sitting president, whose administration has a natural interest in electoral outcomes at federal and state levels. The conflict of interest could not be more direct or more dangerous.
Furthermore, his response to the exposure has stripped away whatever residual benefit of the doubt might otherwise have existed. A man who lies about evidence that is verifiably and incontrovertibly linked to him is a man who will lie about other things too. A man who hastily attempts to erase his digital history when it becomes inconvenient is a man who does not believe he owes the public transparency. A man who misuses his office to destabilise a political party weeks before their primaries, and threatens that same party when they push back, is a man who has already demonstrated that he will weaponise institutional power for political ends.
This is not the kind of man who should be running Nigeria’s elections.
A Call to Action
Nigerians, civil society organisations, the legal community, opposition parties, and all those who believe in the promise of democratic governance must speak with one voice on this matter. The demand is simple and non-negotiable: Joash Amupitan must resign as the chairman of INEC.
The National Assembly must also act. The legislature has a constitutional responsibility to provide oversight of institutions like INEC, and it must not allow this moment to pass without consequence. Hearings must be conducted, evidence must be examined, and if resignation is not forthcoming, the appropriate mechanisms for removal must be activated without delay.
Nigeria’s democracy has endured too much, too much blood, too much sacrifice, too much hope deferred, to allow a man of compromised integrity to preside over its electoral future. The people of this country deserve an INEC chairman who has no party, no candidate, and no loyalty except to the Constitution and the will of the electorate.
Joash Amupitan has shown, by his own hand and his own words, that he is not that person. He must go.
The integrity of Nigeria’s democracy is not the property of any government, any party, or any individual. It belongs to the Nigerian people, and they must now demand it back.
Kunle Oshobi is the Head of Strategy and Planning of The Narrative Force
