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Alleged partnership: Utomi, Falana, others demand INEC chair Amupitan’s resignation

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Alleged partnership: Utomi, Falana, others demand INEC chair Amupitan’s resignation

By Henry Umoru

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.”

The post Alleged partnership: Utomi, Falana, others demand INEC chair Amupitan’s resignation appeared first on Vanguard News.


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Politics

Nenadi Usman intruder in Labour Party – Abure

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Embattled factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure had accused the interim chairman of the party, Nenadi Usman as an intruder in the party.

Abure said this on Tuesday when he featured in an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

He was speaking on the Labour Party divisions and 2027 politics.

“I need to make it very clear that I am not an interloper in Labour Party. If there is any intruder in Labour Party, I think it is Senator Nenadi Usman that is the interloper.

“In any event, the final court has not taken a decision on the matters of Labor Party. You recall that after the convention that was held in 2024 in Nnewi, Anambra state, the Federal High Court made a pronouncement that the convention was valid.

“The court also asked INEC recognize Labor Party under my leadership. The matter went to the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Appeal affirmed same.

“And then Nenadi Usman appealed to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court said it was an internal affair of the party, and we have been working very closely with INEC after that decision,” he said.




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Kwankwaso still meddling in our affairs despite exit – NNPP alleges

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The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has alleged that its former presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is still meddling in the party’s affairs despite his exit.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ogini Olaposi, made the allegation in a statement on Tuesday.

Olaposi said Kwankwaso has continued to wield influence within the party through loyalists allegedly left behind after his departure.

“Kwankwaso is not only trying to hijack political power in NDC Kano, he has continued to drag the NNPP for reasons best known to him.

“Some members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement are the ones he left behind to continue the litigation that Kwankwaso initiated,” the party said.

According to the party, Kwankwaso’s political influence in Kano has diminished significantly, alleging that many of his key allies have defected to the APC.

“NDC should be smart and intelligent enough to understand that Kwankwaso’s structure was in the past organic in Kano State, but at the moment all his commanding officers have joined the APC,” the statement added.




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Atiku accuses Babachir Lawal of making baseless claims over ADC primary

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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has rejected allegations by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary was manipulated in his favour.

In a statement released on Tuesday by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Lawal had failed to provide any evidence to support the claims, describing the allegations as speculation without evidence and “an unfortunate cocktail of bitterness, conjecture, and political revisionism masquerading as public interest.”

“Mr Lawal spent nearly an hour making grave accusations about the conduct of the ADC presidential primary. Yet he failed to produce a single piece of verifiable evidence,” the statement said.

“No document. No petition. No result sheet. No witness statement. No recording. Nothing.”

The ADC presidential candidate argued that Lawal’s comments were driven by disappointment after his preferred candidate lost the primary.

“What the interview ultimately revealed was not a whistleblower exposing wrongdoing but a disappointed political actor struggling to come to terms with the failure of his preferred candidate,” Atiku said.

He added that Lawal had openly supported another aspirant before the primary and was now trying to present his disappointment as a moral concern.

Atiku also dismissed claims that he influenced the outcome of the primary across the country, saying it was unrealistic to suggest he controlled the votes of thousands of party members nationwide.

He further criticised Lawal’s recent remark that he could easily obtain financial assistance from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if needed.

“More revealing, however, was Mr Lawal’s astonishing confession on national television that if he ever needed money, all he had to do was call President Tinubu and the money would reach him before he got home,” Atiku said.

He said Nigerians have heard and seen him, and they can draw their own conclusions from the implications of such a remarkable declaration.




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