Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has launched a blistering attack on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, accusing him of being appointed specifically to weaken opposition parties by fomenting crises within their ranks. The allegation, contained in a statement issued on Monday, 13 July 2026, by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, comes amid a deepening leadership dispute within the ADC, with rival factions laying claim to the party's structure and the right to submit candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku's indictment of the INEC chairman centres on the commission's handling of the ADC leadership crisis. At the heart of the controversy is Nafiu Bala Gombe, who parades himself as National Chairman of the ADC, and his claim that he successfully uploaded the names of the party's presidential, vice-presidential, and National Assembly candidates to INEC's candidate nomination portal on 11 July 2026. Atiku, however, insists that Senator David Mark leads the duly recognised national executive of the ADC, and that INEC had previously validated the Mark-led leadership.
Atiku alleged that by granting an access code to Gombe, INEC acted contrary to the law and its own guidelines, thereby manifesting partisanship and triggering a fresh crisis within the ADC. His camp argued that INEC cannot issue two access codes to the same party, questioning whether the commission could possibly recognise two different chairmen of a political party. The former vice president specifically targeted INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, alleging he was appointed to weaken opposition parties by creating crises where none exist. Atiku also referenced a previous incident when the Amupitan-led INEC allegedly removed the names of the duly recognised ADC executive following what he described as "judicial rascality" by Justice Lifu, who ignored a superior ruling of an appellate court.
Citing constitutional and electoral provisions, Atiku maintained that only candidates produced through the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC are valid under Nigerian law. The statement cited Section 222 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides that candidates of a political party must emerge through recognised party primaries supervised by INEC. It also cited Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), which stipulates that political parties must conduct primaries and submit only one validly nominated candidate per elective office to INEC. Atiku's camp insisted that Gombe did not conduct any primaries, and that any parallel submission by him is null and void.
Meanwhile, the ADC leadership, through its National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the Gombe faction's claim as a "blatant lie" and called on INEC to investigate what it described as the apparent forgery and unauthorised use of documents purportedly issued by the Commission. The party maintained that INEC does not issue nomination portal access or codes to a leadership it does not recognise, and that the Commission cannot issue two codes to the same party.
This is not the first time Atiku and the ADC have accused INEC of bias under Amupitan's leadership. In April 2026, the ADC demanded the immediate resignation or sack of the INEC chairman and all national commissioners, citing concerns over perceived impartiality and the integrity of the electoral process. Atiku had previously alleged that INEC was being used to undermine democracy in Nigeria, singling out Amupitan for criticism over alleged illegalities. The ADC had also staged a massive protest in Abuja in April 2026, demanding sweeping electoral reforms and the immediate removal of Amupitan.
The latest controversy has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections. Atiku's camp argued that granting access to the rival faction could trigger a fresh crisis within the ADC and other opposition parties, and accused the commission of supporting President Bola Tinubu's alleged plan to weaken opposition forces. The Atiku Media Office called on INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan to stop what it described as interference capable of creating crises within opposition parties.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not responded to the allegations or issued any statement on the claims made by the Atiku Media Office. The commission's silence has only deepened suspicions among opposition parties, who see the latest development as a confirmation of their worst fears about the electoral umpire's neutrality. The ADC leadership dispute now stands as a critical test of INEC's commitment to impartiality and the rule of law, as the country inches closer to the 2027 elections.
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