INEC Chairman Amupitan disgraced in London
By Isa Isawade
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, was on Thursday publicly disgraced in front of Chatham House in London by protesting Nigerians living in the United Kingdom.
The placard carrying protesters surrounded Amupitan’s vehicle as he attempted to leave the venue, and demanded that he come out of the vehicle to answers questions from them as Nigeria’s electoral umpire.
Videos of the incident have since gone viral on social media.
The protesters wanted the INEC Chairman to address their concerns, especially on irregularities in Nigeria’s voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Some of the demonstrators were holding papers and placards as they shouted at Amupitan, insisting that he should not leave without addressing the issues they had raised.
The protesters chorused: “Come outside and address us. Let him come outside and talk to us. He is the one we want.”
Efforts by security operatives at pacifying them were met with the shouting of: “He is the one we want. He is the Nigerian Electoral Empire. He needs to come out and tell us how he’s independent.”
The demonstrators also expressed anger over the country’s economic situation, repeatedly shouting, “People are hungry. People are hungry. People are hungry.”
As the confrontation intensified, some protesters resorted to insults and accused the INEC chairman of failing to demonstrate the independence expected of the electoral commission.
One of them was heard shouting: “Look at him, bastard, evil man. God will punish you. Why are you running?”
Another demonstrator described him as a “wicked, evil man” and accused him of being a criminal, demanding to know why he was avoiding the protesters instead of addressing their concerns.
The demonstration came amid growing controversy surrounding INEC’s preliminary voters’ register, following the discovery of questionable entries, including photographs suspected to have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI), duplicate registrations and names of deceased persons.
The controversy has raised questions about the credibility of the register and the commission’s ability to guarantee a transparent electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.