Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a strong warning to the Federal Government, vowing that Nigerians will resist what he described as a calculated attempt to undermine the country’s democracy through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Atiku made the remarks during the African Democratic Congress (ADC) national convention held at the Rainbow Event Centre in Abuja, where he directly indicted INEC and its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, alleging clear evidence that the electoral body is being weaponised against democracy.
“I will not end these remarks without indicting the chairman of INEC and INEC itself because it is clear, it is obvious, the evidence is there, INEC is being used to scuttle democracy in this country. Now, let the Federal Government know that we fought the military to bring democracy in this country and we are going to fight them to bring democracy in this country,” he declared.
The former vice president also warned that INEC chairman Amupitan would not be allowed to “get away with his illegalities,” calling on party faithful to back the fight.
According to PM News Nigeria, the outburst comes amid a deepening crisis within the ADC over its leadership. INEC had on April 1 announced that it would no longer recognise the leadership of former Senate President David Mark’s faction, nor a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala, citing a Court of Appeal directive ordering parties to maintain the status quo before the suit was filed at the Federal High Court.
Atiku, however, argued that INEC acted outside its legal bounds by interpreting the appellate court’s ruling, insisting that such responsibility rests solely with the judiciary. He also maintained that the commission’s actions contradicted Supreme Court rulings which hold that internal party affairs are beyond external interference.
The ADC leadership has called for the removal of the INEC chairman, also pointing to allegations that Amupitan operated a personal X account where he reportedly expressed support for the ruling All Progressives Congress during the 2023 general elections.
INEC has denied the allegations, insisting that the commission remains neutral.
