Our Reporter, Abuja
A former chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has called on Joash Amupitan to resign from his role with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging him to safeguard his professional integrity.
Odinkalu was reacting to allegations of political bias against the INEC Chairman especially against the background of the discovery of an alleged old social media post of Professor Amupitan in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the strenuous efforts by Amupitan and INEC to deny the story.
In a statement posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, Odinkalu criticised what he described as “obfuscation” surrounding recent developments involving Amupitan, insisting that the senior advocate is aware of the appropriate course of action.
“My dear brother… can save himself all this. He knows what to do. All this obfuscation is silly,” Odinkalu wrote.
The outspoken rights advocate further suggested that Amupitan’s continued association with what he termed “unintelligent falsehood” risks diminishing his standing in the legal profession. He noted that as a Law Professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Amupitan has numerous alternative career paths that do not require compromising his credibility.
“There are lots of other jobs for a Law Professor & SAN that do not involve doubling down on unintelligent falsehood,” he added.
Although Odinkalu did not provide specific details about the controversy, his remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of INEC and its officials over issues relating to electoral transparency and public trust.
Efforts to obtain a response from Amupitan were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
