FORMER Vice President and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of being used as a tool to undermine democracy in Nigeria.
News Point Nigeria reports that Atiku made the allegation while speaking at the party’s national convention held at the Rainbow Event Centre in Abuja, where party members and stakeholders gathered despite ongoing tensions with the electoral body.
In his remarks, the former vice president directly criticised the Chairman of INEC, Joash Amupitan, accusing him of engaging in alleged “illegalities” and compromising the neutrality expected of the commission.
“I will not end these remarks without indicting the chairman of INEC and INEC itself because it is clear, it is obvious, the evidence is there INEC is being used to scuttle democracy in this country,” Atiku said.
He further issued a strong warning to the Federal Government, declaring that Nigerians who once fought to secure democratic governance would not hesitate to resist any perceived attempt to undermine it.
“Now, let the Federal Government know that we fought the military to bring democracy in this country and we are going to fight them to bring democracy in this country,” he added.
Atiku also insisted that the INEC chairman would be held accountable, stressing that the opposition would not allow any alleged misconduct to go unchallenged.
“Let the chairman know we are not going to let him get away with his illegalities, we will not, and I hope we will have your support and cooperation to make sure we return to true democracy, to true development in all aspects of human endeavour,” he stated.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also took aim at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, asserting that key sectors of the country, including the economy, security, and education, had deteriorated under the current leadership.
According to him, Nigerians must rise collectively to demand meaningful and sincere change capable of addressing the nation’s challenges.
Atiku’s comments come amid growing tensions between INEC and the ADC, particularly following the commission’s decision to suspend recognition of the faction of the party led by David Mark, citing a court ruling.
In response, ADC leaders have intensified calls for the removal of the INEC chairman, accusing him of bias and unfair treatment of the opposition party.
The controversy has been further fueled by claims that Amupitan allegedly made a partisan post on X (formerly Twitter), reportedly expressing support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections.
However, INEC has firmly denied the allegations, maintaining that the commission remains neutral and committed to its constitutional mandate.
At the Abuja venue, party faithful and stakeholders gathered in large numbers as the ADC moves to constitute its National Working Committee, a key step in its preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.