154
By Lizzy Chirkpi
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has formally submitted a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the immediate removal or resignation of its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, over allegations of partisanship, gross misconduct, and constitutional breaches.
The petition, delivered through the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, marks the standoff between the opposition party and the electoral umpire, as tensions continue to mount over concerns about the integrity of country’s democratic process.
According to the ADC, the petition outlines claims that the INEC leadership has compromised its neutrality and poses a threat to multi-party democracy in the country.
The submission of the petition followed a mass protest earlier on Wednesday, when top ADC leaders and opposition figures marched to INEC headquarters in Abuja.
The peaceful procession, which moved through the Maitama district to INEC’s office on Zambezi Crescent, drew a large turnout of party supporters and key political figures.
Leading the protest were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ADC National Chairman David Mark, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Other prominent participants included former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, Senator Dino Melaye, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, and former Kano deputy governor Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo.
Civil society voices were also represented, including activist Peter Randy-Akaah, alongside a crowd of ADC members and supporters.
In a statement shared on his verified social media platform, Atiku Abubakar described both the protest and subsequent petition as necessary steps to defend democratic principles.
“Myself and other leaders of the ADC are peacefully protesting against the partisanship of the electoral umpire. Our patriotic stance is aimed at safeguarding our democracy and preventing the enthronement of a dictatorship,” he said.