More than 1,000 lawyers under the umbrella of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) have called for the disqualification of Professor Joash Amupitan as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The group, made up of lawyers who are also staff and consultants of the National Assembly, argued that Amupitan’s previous involvement with the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the last general election raises concerns of bias and conflict of interest, in violation of Section 5 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and Section 19 of the ICPC Act.
In a letter addressed to the President of the Senate through the Committee on Electoral Matters, the association said its mission is to promote professionalism in the enactment of Nigerian laws through public legal education and public interest litigation.
The lawyers stated that they deemed it necessary to alert the Senate ahead of Bola Tinubu’s expected request for the confirmation of Amupitan as INEC Chairman, insisting that the nominee does not meet the qualifications required to head the electoral body.
The letter further urged the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, return the President’s nomination letter without referring it to the Committee on Electoral Matters.
According to ALDRAP, “Professor Joash Amupitan, having served as Legal Counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 Presidential Election Petition at the Supreme Court, is automatically disqualified from holding the position of INEC Chairman.”
The association reminded the Senate of its previous decision to disqualify Lauretta Onochie in 2021 over her political affiliation with the APC, noting that a similar precedent should apply in Amupitan’s case.
ALDRAP also warned that confirming Amupitan’s appointment would create the impression of self-benefit, given his prior role as lead counsel to the ruling party.
“There are over 200,000 lawyers in Nigeria. If the President and the National Council of State have decided that the next INEC Chairman should come from the legal profession, there are no fewer than 100,000 Nigerian lawyers who are neither members of any political party nor have served as legal counsel to one,” the letter stated.
“It is from this category that His Excellency, the President, can select a suitable candidate to avoid any appearance of bias.”
The association further cautioned that if the Senate proceeds with Amupitan’s confirmation, it would initiate legal action against the upper chamber to challenge the appointment.
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