Why political stakeholders dey drag Inec chairman Joash Amupitan and dey call for im resignation

Chairman of di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), Professor Joash Amupitan, dey enta from one gbege to di oda for di hands of political stakeholders and several Nigerians.

In recent times, Amupitan and Inec don enta news for different issues but majorly na sake of 2027 general elections and party issues.

For October 2025, di National Council of State bin approve di appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as di new Chairman of Inec, afta former Inec oga Mahmood Yakubu serve im term finish and im hand ova.

President Bola Tinubu bin present Amupitan name to di Nigerian Senate for screening, and dem confam am on 16 October 2025, and few months afta di appointment, Professor Amupitan don chop dragging both for social media and during protest.

Di different criticism wey Professor Amupitan don chop dey make pipo question how 2027 general elections go dey free and fair.

From call for resignation, election timetable, electoral act and now to dragging ontop weda im dey support President Tinubu for di past.

BBC News Pidgin put togeda di different reason why Professor Amupitan dey enta dragging for di hand of political parties, religious groups and stakeholders.

Inec controversy wit ADC

Di wahala wey Inec and Oga Amupitan dey enta for di hands of some political parties and stakeholders, all dey linked to di 2027 general elections, especially dia decision to derecognise di David Mark-led African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Di ADC na party wey don exist bifor di 2023 election, but some political big names come togeda to form coalition wey dem wan use pursue di current President Tinubu of di All Progressives Congress (APC) comot for presidency.

For 1 April 2026, Inec say dem go comot di names of dia National Chairman David Mark, National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola plus names of oda National Working Committee members from dia portal sake of one Court of Appeal ruling.

Di coalition reject Inec decision as dem accuse di electoral body say dem yield to political pressure, govment influence and attempt to impose a one-party system

Dis decision cause serious drag for di Inec chairmo wia dem label am as partisan. Dem say e be like di Inec chairmo dey work in hand wit di current administration.

Inec even tok say dem no go recognise any of ADC activities until dem settle dia party wahala.

Dis Inec decision lead to protest for Abuja, and even different dragging for social media.

Alleged pro-APC post for X wey get Inec chairman name

Di one wey come scata evriwia ova di weekend na di alleged discovery say Inec chairman get X account wey e dey use support President Tinubu.

One allegation come out say one X account wey dey linked to di Inec Chairman comment for di post of APC Youth Leader Dayo Israel say "Victory is sure" for 2023.

Di X handle wey drop di comment na @joashamupitan while di display name na Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan - dis na same name wit dat of di current Inec Chairman.

Di screenshot of di comment don make dem dey drag di Inec Chairman for social media.

For 18 March, 2023, APC national youth leader Dayo Israel make one tweet post around 4:02pm and later update am around 4:18pm. Di post na about election wia e tok say im party APC win 7 out of 10 polling units for im area wey dem neva win bifor.

According to di BBC News Pidgin research into dis post, we confam say di 2023 gubernatorial election happun for 18 March.

Truly, di APC national youth leader make di post for 18 March, 2023 during di govnorship election.

However, we dig deeper to find wen di X account wey dem tok say dey linked to di Inec chairman Joash Amupitan dey created.

We find say di X account wit di username @joashamupitan dey created for April 2026 - dat na wen di account join X. Dat same account dey based for United States, while e don change name one time for April.

Wetin we kon notice be say dis account wey dem dey link to Inec chairmo Amupitan, get di foto of popular football star Cristiano Ronaldo as foto header.

Although di account dey verified for X, e no mean say na di original X account of Joash Amupitan becos anybody fit buy di verified blue tick for X.

Meanwhile, some also claim say di so-called handle don change name to anoda username. Wen we check, dat same account dey created for April 2026.

For dia comment, Inec tell Nigerians make dem reject false news wey dey spread about di commission chairmo.

Di commission say di allegations dey "false" and fabricated, wia dem add say Inec chairmo Amupitan no get X account.

"For di avoidance of doubt, di Inec Chairman no get or operate any personal account on X. E neva at any time engage in partisan commentary, nor eva associate imsef wit any political leaning or activity for im private or public capacity," Inec tok for dia statement on 10 April, 2026.

BBC News Pidgin dey do more independent verification to take confam more about di post and di X account.

Muslim Council call for Amupitan resignation

Di Supreme Council for Shari'ah in Nigeria (SCSN) call for di removal of Inec chairman, Professor Amupitan, ahead of di 2027 general elections as dem describe am as potential threat to di stability of di Nigerian govment.

For interview wit di BBC for January 2026, di president of SCSN, Sheikh Bashir Aliyu Umar, say Nigerian Muslims no go accept any election results under di leadership of Amupitan as Inec chairman.

Sheikh Umar say dem dey take dis step becos of Amupitan previous actions, especially wen e bin write legal brief say Christian genocide dey for Nigeria.

"We stand by wetin we tok and di Inec chairman neva come out to say we bin lie. We believe say anyone wey hold dis position gatz be pesin wey don dey investigated by di govment and no go dey bias.

Sheikh Umar say di Inec chairman take on religion dey dangerous to di electoral body and any 'electoral process under am na somtin wey pipo no go believe in.'

Controversy ova Inec timetable for 2027 general elections timetable

Wen Inec bin first release di timetable for di 2027 general elections, e raise plenti questions and agitations - as some pipo dey question why di election period fall for di day wen di Muslims go dey do dia fasting.

At dat time too, some pipo say why di Amupitan-led Inec no wait till wen di Electoral Act don finally dey signed.

E no tey as pipo dey drag Inec ontop di election timetable, di election joinbodi revise di 2027 general elections dates wey dem bin release.

Dis na sake of di new Electoral Act wey di President sign into law.

Di revised timetable come say di presidential and National Assembly elections go now hold on 16 January 2027, while di govnorship and state House of Assembly elections go now hold on 6 February 2027.

Inec tok say di new Electoral Act 2026 introduce some changes to di normal timeline for pre-election and oda election activities, wey also make dem review timeline for oda 2027 elections processes - including primaries and submission of candidates list.

Ontop di new election timetable, dem drag Amupitan say di timeline to prepare for di 2027 elections dey too close.

Inec budget for 2027 election

Anoda issue wey make pipo drag Oga Amupitan na di budget wey Inec release say dem wan use do di 2027 general elections.

Inec dey propose to spend more dan 873.78 billion naira for di 2027 general elections for Nigeria, according to wetin di chairman of di commission, Joash Amupitan, tok for di National Assembly for February 2026.

Dis one na di money wey Inec go take run dia operations for di year, including two off-cycle elections for Ekiti and Osun States, including di Area Council elections for di Federal Capital Territory.

Dis money na almost three times of di amount wey Inec take organise di last general elections for 2023, wey di total money na 313.48 billion naira.

Na so dem drag Amupitan say how e wan take spend dat amount of money ontop election.

Some Nigerians post for social media say di amount wey Inec wan use for di 2027 elections too much - dem call am waste.