NNPP accuses INEC Chairman, Amupitan of Defying Court orders ,Warns of threat to 2027 Elections
NNPP Accuses INEC Chairman, Amupitan of Defying Court Orders, Warns of Threat to 2027 Elections
By Babatunde Aremu
The New Nigeria People’s Party has accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, of deliberately refusing to obey valid court judgments recognizing the Agbo Major-led leadership, warning that the action poses a threat to political stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a press statement signed by its Secretary General, Comrade Oginni Olaposi Sunday, the NNPP said the party’s internal leadership dispute had been resolved by decisions of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Apo Division, and the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, both of which affirmed the Agbo Major-led leadership as the authentic leadership of the party.
The party alleged that INEC has persistently failed to comply with the judgment delivered by Justice Kawu in Suit No. CV/4800/25/2005, which resolved all issues in favor of the Agbo Major faction. It claimed that at a meeting convened by Prof. Amupitan on 15 May 2026, the INEC Chairman reportedly stated that he was not duty-bound to obey court judgments obtained by the Agbo Major-led leadership against parties now aligned with opposition political groups.
According to the NNPP, this position betrays the constitutional duty of impartiality expected of an electoral umpire and undermines the rule of law. The party described Prof. Amupitan’s continued refusal, including non-compliance with an order of mandamus issued by Justice Kawu, as “anarchic and a direct invitation to political instability.”
The NNPP said it had initiated contempt proceedings against the INEC Chairman as the only lawful remedy to prevent the Commission from placing itself above court judgments. It warned that Prof. Amupitan’s defiance appeared designed to derail the electoral timetable, create disaffection, trigger instability, and jeopardize the nearly one trillion naira budgetary allocation for the 2027 polls.
“We therefore call the attention of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to these avoidable circumstances,” the statement read. “We urge him to engage the Chief Justice of Nigeria to defend and protect the jurisdiction of the courts jealously. Prof. Amupitan is not above the law. He is duty-bound to obey judgments of the Court.”
