The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has declared that the commission will comply with any final court judgement on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s eligibility to contest the 2027 presidential election, regardless of the political consequences.
Amupitan made the declaration on Thursday while speaking at Chatham House in London, where he was asked whether Atiku would remain on the ballot if he failed to overturn the Federal High Court judgement nullifying the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), under which he emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.
Responding, the INEC chairman said the commission was constitutionally bound to respect judicial decisions, particularly those delivered by the Supreme Court.
“If 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,” Amupitan stated.
He, however, expressed concern over the growing number of pre-election litigations, warning that the cases could disrupt INEC’s preparations for the January 2027 general elections.
According to him, the commission is currently facing more than 300 pending court cases, despite having only a few weeks left before the elections.
“Some of those issues we have with court cases—over 300 cases hanging on the neck of INEC, and elections are just about 66 days away,” he lamented.
Amupitan explained that the commission had already commenced the procurement of sensitive election materials, making prolonged legal disputes and last-minute judicial decisions particularly challenging for its operational arrangements.
He recalled that when the ADC leadership crisis emerged in April, INEC had advocated an accelerated hearing to ensure the dispute was resolved within three weeks, thereby giving the commission sufficient time to conclude its preparations.
However, the matter remained unresolved and has now proceeded to the Court of Appeal following the ADC’s decision to challenge the Federal High Court judgement.
The INEC chairman consequently called for electoral reforms that would compel the conclusion of all pre-election disputes between six months and one year before election day.
He warned that allowing politically sensitive cases to linger until shortly before elections places the commission in a difficult position, particularly when it must implement judicial decisions that could trigger public criticism.
“The danger is that whenever there is such a decision, and it’s up to you to now implement it, you become the problem. The problem now is transferred unto you,” he said.
