Saturday Southerner — Another View 

Saturday, April 11, 2026

With the recent happenings in the political arena, all actions appear set for Nigeria’s political battle for 2027. Prof. Joash Amupitan, a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointed Chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and staff of the commission are quite busy putting plans in place to conduct the 2027 elections for the country.

So far, the electoral body has announced an election time-table for the forthcoming elections which begins in January, 2027. But whether the commission will organize a free, fair, credible and transparent election is a different ball game.

However, INEC ought to know that, if they fail to conduct a transparent election, they have provided basis for inevitable social disorder in the country.

It was the postponement of the proposed nationwide voter revalidation exercise, after a nationwide outcry, less than a year to the 2027 general elections that saved the electoral body from embarrassment.

According to INEC headquarters in Abuja, the revalidation was vital to having a clean voter register, to take away registered under age from the voters list, prevent multiple registration of voters and discourage their possible voting. It is also geared towards building public confidence and world acceptance of the voter register, according to INEC.

Every argument presented by INEC concerning the voter revalidation appeared good but suspicious about underlying motives could not be discountenanced. Questions from opposition political parties and civil society organizations made the exercise seem suspect, an undercurrent that the electoral body could not justify.

Prof. Amupitan is at the moment being challenged by the opposition political parties, especially the African Democratic Congress, ADC to come clean with the actual motive for voter revalidation exercise. The opposition insists that though there may be nothing wrong with revalidation if it is credible and backed by law, but also argue that that is not the case in this instance.

They maintain that INEC must not be seen as working against sustaining a plural democracy. Voter’s register, ADC insists must be accurate and fair to all parties. It is a record that must not tarnish or incapacitate old records of voters thereby preventing eligible voters from voting. INEC must at this stage not allow themselves to be used in destroying the electoral act that has helped to usher sound elections in the past.

The interest of INEC should therefore not be to clog the process in the name of

revalidation. Again, it must not be to favour one party against the other. That would be undemocratic, unfair, and against all forms of credibility.

My kind advice is that INEC should not make itself available for the party in control of the centre to bulldoze and crush all opposition parties. In a multi party system, without opposition playing its role, the party at the centre has no right to lay claim to any form of being progressive.

Political parties ought to see themselves as partners in nation building and, not as threats. The moment political parties no longer see themselves as partners in progress then the political culture of the country is in jeorpady. And, it is the responsibility of the electoral body to present a level playing ground for all parties and candidates to contest.

When the party in control of the federal government appears to be mobilizing state institutions into the struggle for political control of the country then there is trouble in the hemisphere. This is what INEC must resist by all means for the body to be taken seriously.

Prof. Amupitan must avoid the Prof. Maurice Iwu kind of INEC that brought the country shame and disastrous political misfortune some years ago.

A country is built on a sound democratic turf and not rhetoric. Democracy is built and sustained by a well-developed culture that allows people to make their choices without intimidation or coercion. A democrat is assessed when in power. President Tinubu must prove to the world that indeed he is a democrat.

Presently, governance in Nigeria is on hold while billions of naira are wasted on mere political campaigns and permutations for the 2027 general elections.

This is the sad reality yet, Nigeria burns as terrorists have descended on the country, killing and causing so much pain for citizens. So much hardship and poverty ruining lives of the masses. Sickness and death everywhere. INEC should be preoccupied with organizing something meaningful for the nation’s political process.

What is the National Assembly under Sen. Godswill Akpabio doing to defend the nation’s political democracy against all that is happening?

The NASS should ensure the independence of the commission is protected. It is a constitutional prescription and not a presidential favour.

Many Nigerians believe that a professor of knowledge from an ivory tower embodies qualities that suggest discipline and thoroughness in the discharge of duties. These qualities are what is expected from Prof Amupitan. He must avoid dragging Nigeria backward in the conduct of electoral contests.

As a professor of law and senior advocate, Amupitan owes Nigerians a befitting election. He must establish a solid foundation for credible and transparent elections to hold. It will be to his credit if that happens.

The removal of some leaders of the ADC from INEC portal suggests illegality. Many notable lawyers including Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) have spoken against such move by INEC to remove ADC leaders. INEC is purely interfering in the internal affairs of political parties.

INEC over the years avoided interference in internal affairs of political parties. They cannot now be interested in who emerges as leaders of parties.

That Prof. Amupitan (SAN) superintended over the yank off of the leaders of ADC from their portal positions him as a tool in the hands of the ruling APC. Lawyers and most importantly senior lawyers must desist from being used to truncate our hard-won democracy.

The Nigerian democracy should be further enriched and not dragged nude before the international community. INEC’s interest should be to help build a progressive democracy in Nigeria and not to destroy it.

Prof. Amupitan is well enlightened to understand the problems of Nigeria. Nigeria is where it is because of leadership failure. It is the poor recruitment usually enabled by INEC that has led to leadership failure. Since the coming of democracy in the country, we have had incompetent and corrupt leaders at the helm of affairs thereby destroying governance in Nigeria.

Some irrendentists believe that, they must retain power by every means. They have somehow captured INEC and are dictating the tunes for the electoral body. This points to one direction according to political analysis, a one-party system.

This development raises concerns about the credibility, independence and neutrality of the body. INEC as the electoral umpire is expected to be completely neutral in party affairs.

Prof. Amupitan must realize that his name is at stake. He has to wake up and shake off every anti-opposition in his system. He must realize that opposition is part and parcel of democracy. Opposition political parties must be accommodated and encouraged to thrive.

This unnecessary attack and plans to weaken the opposition are anti-democratic and ruinous to our electoral democracy. Amupitan’s INEC must not allow the electoral body to be crippled by these actors in power today.

Nigerians, Civil Society groups, media organizations, democrats, labour unions, professional organizations, religious bodies and others must rise to defend our democracy. We must not allow one man’s political ambition to destroy our democracy.