{"id":198597,"date":"2026-04-08T19:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T18:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest"},"modified":"2026-04-08T20:42:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:42:30","slug":"adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest","title":{"rendered":"ADC demands INEC chairman\u2019s removal after Abuja protest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified its standoff with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following a high-profile protest in Abuja on Tuesday that drew several prominent political figures.<\/p>\n<p>Leading the demonstration were the party\u2019s National Chairman, David Mark; National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Peter Obi; Rotimi Amaechi; and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.<\/p>\n<p>In a symbolic gesture, protesters opened the rally by singing Nigeria\u2019s former national anthem, \u201cArise, O Compatriots,\u201d before marching to INEC headquarters, where they submitted a formal petition.<\/p>\n<p>In the letter dated April 8, 2026, the ADC called for the immediate resignation or removal of the INEC chairman, Joseph Amupitan, accusing him of misconduct and abuse of office.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe credibility of the Commission is now at stake,\u201d the party stated, framing its demand as necessary to protect institutional integrity.<\/p>\n<p>The party alleged that INEC, under Amupitan\u2019s leadership, had abandoned neutrality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Commission\u2019s actions suggest alignment with factional interests, undermining public trust in the electoral process,\u201d the letter read.<\/p>\n<p>The ADC also faulted the INEC chairman for publicly interpreting court rulings, arguing that such actions violate the principle of separation of powers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnly the judiciary has the authority to interpret its judgments. Any attempt by INEC to do so constitutes a constitutional breach,\u201d the party said.<\/p>\n<p>Placing the dispute in a broader context, the ADC warned that interference in party affairs could weaken Nigeria\u2019s democratic framework.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not just improper, it is dangerous to democratic pluralism,\u201d the letter emphasised.<\/p>\n<p>The party rejected claims by rival figures to its leadership, describing such moves as inconsistent and legally untenable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose making such claims had previously participated in processes that dissolved the former leadership,\u201d the ADC noted.<\/p>\n<p>To reinforce its position, the ADC outlined a detailed timeline of internal decisions in 2025, including NEC and NWC meetings attended by INEC officials.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese processes were duly documented, communicated, and acknowledged by INEC itself,\u201d the party stated, adding that its leadership structure had been reflected on the Commission\u2019s official portal.<\/p>\n<p>The party warned that failure to act on its demands would lead to further escalation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will pursue judicial remedies and broader civic action if necessary,\u201d the letter concluded.<\/p>\n<p>The development signals a deepening crisis between the ADC and INEC, with potential implications for Nigeria\u2019s electoral system ahead of future polls.<\/p>\n<p>Observers say the confrontation could test the resilience of democratic institutions and the perceived independence of the electoral body.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Nigeria<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified its standoff with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following a high-profile protest in Abuja on Tuesday that drew several prominent political figures. Leading the demonstration were the party\u2019s National Chairman, David Mark; National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Peter Obi; Rotimi Amaechi; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":198596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-198597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>ADC demands INEC chairman\u2019s removal after Abuja protest - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified its standoff with the Independent National Electoral Commission (I ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ADC demands INEC chairman\u2019s removal after Abuja protest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified its standoff with the Independent National Electoral Commission (I ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T18:19:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T19:42:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/sm_1775677181.016967.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"410\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"ADC demands INEC chairman\u2019s removal after Abuja protest\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T18:19:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T19:42:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest\"},\"wordCount\":426,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/04\/sm_1775677181.016967.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/adc-demands-inec-chairmans-removal-after-abuja-protest\",\"name\":\"ADC demands INEC chairman\u2019s removal after Abuja protest - 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