A senior member of the African Democratic Congress has sharply criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission and its chairman, Josh Amupitan, accusing the electoral body of unlawfully withdrawing recognition from the party’s leadership without a court order.
Kenneth Okonkwo, a chieftain of the ADC, said the commission had earlier endorsed the party’s leadership but suddenly reversed its position, describing the move as lacking legal backing.
“Josh Amupitan is worse than Prof Yakubu Mahmood. Without a court order, INEC, which recognised the leadership of ADC, suddenly withdrew recognition for ADC,” he said.
He further alleged that INEC under Amupitan now functions as an extension of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“INEC, under Amupitan, has finally proved that it is a department of APC,” Okonkwo added.
Okonkwo warned that failure to address the situation could undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
“If nothing is done immediately, democracy has finally come to an end in Nigeria,” he said.
The remarks come amid an ongoing leadership crisis within the ADC, with rival factions claiming control of the party structure. INEC’s position on which leadership to recognise has remained a contentious issue.
