The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, says the commission will abide by any court decision on whether Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, is eligible to contest the 2027 election.
Amupitan made the statement on Thursday while speaking at Chatham House in London.
Last Thursday, Peter Lifu, a judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, removed the David Mark-led ADC caretaker committee and nullified its decisions, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
During the Chatham House discussion, a representative of Semaphore Africa asked Amupitan whether Atiku would be permitted to contest the election if he failed to overturn the judgment.
In response, the INEC chairman said the commission was bound to comply with any court order, particularly a Supreme Court decision, irrespective of its political consequences.
“If it travels through the courts and, as you said, he eventually fails, well, I’m obligated under section 285 of the Constitution of Nigeria to obey every court order, especially if it is from the Supreme Court,” he said.
“But the danger is that whenever there’s such a decision and it’s you who now has to implement it, you become the problem.
“The problem now is transferred to you. But that is the position of the law.”
Amupitan disclosed that INEC was handling more than 300 court cases, with about 66 days remaining before the 2027 election.
He said he had previously called for pre-election disputes to be settled between six months and one year before an election, giving the commission sufficient time to focus on preparations.
“I had advocated in several forums that election matters, pre-election matters rather, should be at least a year before the election. Or let’s say six months,” he said.
“So that we can face our logistics. Now we have gone into serious procurement of the most sensitive materials. So that’s a very big issue for us.”
Background
The legal action was instituted by Nafiu Bala, a former ADC deputy national chairman for the north-east, who challenged the party’s leadership arrangement.
The ADC has filed a notice of appeal and an application for a stay of execution, but the application is yet to be heard or granted.
Despite the ruling, Atiku has maintained that he remains in the race for the 2027 presidency, insisting that the judgment would not stop him from pursuing his ambition.
The former vice-president said the final decision should be left to voters, arguing that the ruling did not represent the wishes of Nigerians.
He also accused the ruling party of deploying political pressure, manufactured narratives and court manoeuvres to weaken the opposition and steer Nigeria towards a one-party state.