By Our Correspondent

Emerging reports have sparked a firestorm of controversy surrounding the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following allegations that its Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, issued a recent controversial release under extreme duress.

SaharaReporters reported on Wednesday that the Nigeria’s electoral umpire announced plans to remove the names of Senator David Mark and former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, from its official portal as leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing a subsisting court dispute over the party’s leadership.

Mark is the National Chairman while Aregbesola is the National Secretary of the party.

The electoral body also declared that it would suspend recognition of any faction or leadership of the ADC pending the final determination of the case before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The decision was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday by National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna.

INEC said the move followed “preservatory orders” issued by the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/145/2026 involving Senator David Mark and Nafiu Bala Gombe.

However, human rights activist and legal scholar, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, in a post on his X handle, on late Wednesday night, disclosed that the Commission’s latest statement followed a series of high-level meetings involving senior INEC leaders, the Presidency, the Court of Appeal, and the Federal High Court within the last 60 hours.

According to Odinkalu, who cited “impeccable authority,” Chairman Amupitan’s appointment was contingent upon a pre-signed resignation letter held by powerful interests.

This letter was allegedly used as a “magic” threat to compel the Chairman to issue the Commission’s recent interpretation of a court ruling.

“I have it on the most impeccable authority that there is a pre-signed resignation letter by Chairman Amupitan. It was a pre-condition for his appointment,” Odinkalu, a former Chairman National Human Rights Commission stated. “The threat of releasing it did the magic.”

Odinkalu, himself a prominent voice in the legal community, questioned how Amupitan— a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) — could justify INEC’s decision to interpret a Court of Appeal judgment rather than seeking official clarification.

He argued that an electoral body acting in “good faith” would have returned to the appellate court to secure a formal interpretation if any ambiguity existed in the ruling.

“It should be evident to a professor of law and SAN that it is not the business of INEC to interpret the decision of the Court of Appeal,” he noted.

The allegations come at a sensitive time as the country prepares for the #NigeriaDecides2027 cycle. Odinkalu warned that the current trajectory suggests the subversion of democratic institutions by those in power.

“The country stares down a barrel,” Odinkalu warned, adding that the political climate has reached a point where only those willing to “enable” or “dare” the current system would fully understand the stakes involved in the upcoming elections”