INEC explains Amupitan’s absence after Obidients’ query

The Independent National Electoral Commission has explained that its Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), is away from Abuja on an official assignment, following a demand by the Obidient Movement for clarification on his whereabouts.

The Obidient Movement on Wednesday had demanded clarification from INEC on the whereabouts and official engagements of Amupitan, after National Commissioner, Prof Rhoda Gumus, appeared as acting chairman at an official engagement with an African Union delegation in Abuja.

The movement, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the development had raised questions about Amupitan’s whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his absence from the commission’s headquarters.

The development followed an INEC post on X on Tuesday, September 15, which identified Gumus as the acting chairman of the commission while receiving an AU Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission to Nigeria.

The AU delegation, led by former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, visited INEC headquarters in Abuja as part of its assessment of Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Gumus is a serving National Commissioner of INEC and is listed on the commission’s official website among its national commissioners.

However, Tanko said the movement was concerned that there had been no public communication, to its knowledge, explaining when or why Amupitan handed over his duties to Gumus.

He said, “As far as the Obidient Movement and Nigerians are concerned, there was no official communication of Professor Amupitan’s handover to anyone, either in acting or substantive capacity.

“This raises legitimate questions about the chairman’s current location, official schedule and the circumstances surrounding his absence.”

The group urged INEC to clarify where Amupitan was, when he left Abuja, the purpose of his absence and who authorised it.

It also asked the commission to disclose whether the chairman had travelled outside the country and, if so, the official engagements he had undertaken.

The movement further demanded clarification on whether Amupitan had met, or was scheduled to meet, President Bola Tinubu, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress or any representative of the ruling party.

Tanko said the questions were necessary because of INEC’s constitutional responsibility for conducting elections and the importance of public confidence in the commission’s leadership ahead of the 2027 polls.

“As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, the INEC chairman cannot operate in secrecy,” he said.

The movement national coordinator also questioned what it described as the chairman’s alleged “antecedents and strong affection for the APC,” urging INEC to demonstrate transparency and political neutrality in its operations.

He said, “The era of the INEC chairman having strategy meetings with the APC and the ruling party must be a thing of the past.

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“Nigerians do not trust this INEC chairman or the commission he leads, so it behoves him and the commission to not only be transparent and non-partisan, but to also be seen as such.”

Tanko further said the electoral commission belonged to Nigerians and that its leadership should remain accountable to the public.

“It is important to reemphasise that the electoral commission belongs to the Nigerian people. Its leadership must therefore be accountable to the public and must not leave room for speculation about secret political engagements, especially given their many past antecedents and the crisis of confidence that the Commission continues to face,” he said.

The movement, therefore, called on INEC to publicly state Amupitan’s whereabouts and explain his official engagements.

Reacting, INEC explained that its chairman is currently away from Abuja on an official assignment, adding that he has the authority to delegate his responsibilities to any National Commissioner.

INEC’s Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, in a short message to our correspondent via WhatsApp, said, “The chairman is on an official assignment outside Abuja. He can delegate powers to any National Commissioner.”

Checks by our correspondent on the Commission’s official X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook accounts showed that the chairman has been engaged in activities outside the country, supporting the commission’s position that his absence from Abuja is connected with official duties.

A post on Friday showed the Chairman in Ottawa, Canada, where he met with Google Global Lead, Civic Responsibility, David J. Lopez, accompanied by the Director of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Lawrence Bayode, on the sidelines of the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections.

Earlier on Thursday, the Chairman held strategic partnership meetings with senior officials of Microsoft and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.

The Chairman engaged Ethan Chumley, Emerging Tech and Cyber Lead, and Ariana Molina, Programme Manager, on areas of mutual interest in emerging technologies, cybersecurity and responsible artificial intelligence, particularly as they relate to strengthening the resilience and security of electoral processes.

Amupitan had also addressed the AI Conference, sharing Nigeria’s experience and lessons in institutionalising responsible AI for electoral administration.

The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of the commission as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.

Meanwhile, another top official at INEC who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity described the Obidient Movement’s concern as “a non-issue,” stressing that the chairman was not required to be in Abuja or at the commission to perform his duties.

“It is a non-issue. Must he be in Abuja to perform his duties? So, if I were to go on leave, can’t I hand over to someone until I return?

“The Chairman is attending a conference and even gave an address at the conference. He had some meetings too. So what is the issue? It’s just noise,” the official said.