Amupitan: I’m Not Party to Any Plan to Turn Nigeria Into One-Party State

•Says INEC didn’t take side in ADC leadership crisis

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said that he is not a party to alleged plan to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

He added that going by the constitution of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, Nigeria is a multi party state.

Amupitan stated this on Friday during an interview on ARISE News channel.

He stated: “Let me say it very clearly, I am not a party to the plan of anyone to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. By the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Nigeria is a multi party state.”

Amupitan recalled that the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area council elections had 10 political parties that contested.

He added: “One of the challenges we’ve had is this issue of leadership and it’s something that is impacting on democracy, because if those issues are not addressed on time, then it can cause a lot of problems.”

“So in this particular case, let me take you back to the judgment, nobody is looking at that part that ordered the trial court to give it an expeditious trial.”

On the threat by the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to go ahead with the convention and congresses, Amupitan noted that the court was very clear that the parties in the suit, including David Mark, should refrain from doing anything that would foist a situation of fait accompli on the court.

He stated: “So, if they are going ahead with their Congress, with their convention, it is left for them to look at it, whether it is in contravention of the court.

“We didn’t just take a decision. We didn’t just wake up one day and took this decision, there was something that led to it. There was an order of court, don’t do anything. Don’t take any step that would render any proceeding before the court negatory.”

The INEC chairman warned that the party might risk repeating what happened in Zamafara in 2019 when the APC won but later lost to the party that came second.

He stated: “So if already they are asking that, don’t do any Congress, don’t do any convention, is a relief that is being claimed, and especially, they filed a motion for that purpose. That motion has not been determined. So if they decide, let me tell you what happened in Zamfara.

“It happened in the past. We don’t want to conduct an election without this early warning, and at the end of the day after you have won, the court again will come and declare the election invalid.

“And the implication is that the person with the second highest number of votes will be declared the winner. It happened in Plateau State during the last election.

“So failure to obey the court order has consequences. They are at liberty to do whatever they want to do,” adding that the order of court was definite and clear.

Contrary to what the leadership of ADC said, he noted that the electoral body was not in support of any faction in the crisis.

Amupitan said the commission was only acting on the order of the court.