ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Residents of Ayetoro Gbede Community in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State have thrown their weight behind the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, urging those calling for his resignation to desist and allow him focus on his duties.
Over 1,000 indigenes of the community, mostly youths, staged a solidarity rally in his support, describing him as a man of integrity and proven capacity.
The demonstrators marched through the streets carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Stop Campaign of Calumny Against Our Son,” “Thank you, Mr. President, for the Choice of Professor Joash Amupitan,” and “Stop Trying to Pull him Down.”
Speaking on behalf of the community, the National President of Ayetoro Gbede Development Association, Mr. Samuel Olorunmaiye, said Amupitan’s track record in academia and public service speaks for itself.
“Firstly, he served as Head of Department, Public Law, University of Jos. He later served as the longest serving Dean of Faculty of Law in the same University, and after that, he was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, of the University.
“Prof. Amupitan is a man of value, and we value him. I want to tell Nigerians to allow him to do his job, and by the grace of God, we know that he is going to succeed.”
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Olorunmaiye urged the INEC chairman to remain focused and deliver a credible electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He dismissed allegations of partisanship against Amupitan as baseless, noting that as a legal expert, he understands the responsibility and neutrality required of his office.
Also speaking, the community’s Youth Leader, Elijah Babatunde, said indigenes at home and in the diaspora are firmly behind the INEC chairman.
He advised him not to be distracted by what he described as non-state actors but to remain committed to his constitutional duties.
Babatunde added that calls for the resignation of electoral commission heads are not new in Nigeria, insisting that such pressures should not derail Amupitan.
“Linking the INEC Chairman to a political party is politically motivated to distract him from performing his official assignment.
“Prof. Joash Amupitan that we know is a man of integrity and will never compromise standards. He is not a politician; he is a neutral person who was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to head the commission.”
The show of support comes amid growing political tension ahead of the 2027 elections, with stakeholders closely watching the role of the electoral umpire in shaping the credibility of the polls.