INEC Chairman Amupitan: Why We Have Not Disqualified Atiku As ADC Candidate Despite Court Order
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has defended their decision to retrain former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on its website as the Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) despite last week’s court judgement that disqualified the politician him from the 2027 poll.
Fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja, Amupitan explained that since the commission was yet to receive the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement, it lacked justification for removing Atiku from the list of candidates on its website.
Amupitan said: “You were asking about the recent judgement of the Federal High Court in respect of the ADC case. As of today, I have not received a CTC of the judgement of the Federal High Court.”
“We don’t just act on the basis of what is on the social media. I remember one of the judgements of the Supreme Court some time ago. Something was posted on the social media, it trended, and the Supreme Court disassociated itself from it. And even some people were being investigated.
“Normally, when we receive a judgement like that, it comes to the commission. It comes first to the chairman, who asks for the expert’s advice from the relevant department, before it is taken to the Commissioners. So, they will look at the circumstances surrounding each case.
“But in this case, I had to receive the judgement. So, the judgement is to be received and studied. I know that I am also a lawyer. Apart from that, I go through it to see the processes that have been filed.”
He spoke too on another Federal High Court order, directing him to appear before it to present the certificates of the APC Presidential Candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying: “Appearing to present certificates. Do you have the order with you? I have not received the order. So, when I receive the order, I will look at what the order says and then know what to do accordingly.”
Asked if the 54 culprits involved in the inclusion of fake persons in the INEC’s voters register were staff of the commission, he asked: “Are they staff of INEC? Yes, I have the list here. They are all staff of INEC. And we are taking some steps. We are not covering anything. What I told you today is just the truth.”
“We are not covering anything. We felt that it’s just important for you to find your facts before you come to any conclusion. So, that is that.”
