ADC Chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo Labels INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan A Liar And Accuses Commission Of Sabotaging 2027 Electoral Participation

Kenneth Okonkwo accuses INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan of lying to block the ADC's 2027 election participation through "hostile" interference.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 3, 2026, 9:23 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Daily Post Nigeria

Rejection Of INEC’s Judicial Comparisons

The internal crisis within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has escalated following a public confrontation between party chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan. Reacting via his X handle on Friday, April 3, 2026, Okonkwo dismissed Amupitan’s recent warnings on Arise News as "incompetent" and "misleading." The INEC Chairman had compared the ADC’s current situation to the 2019 electoral crises in Zamfara and Rivers States, warning that the party risks total exclusion from the 2027 elections if it proceeds with congresses in defiance of ongoing litigation.

The Role Of INEC: Observatory Vs. Judicial

Okonkwo argued that the comparison to Zamfara and Rivers is legally flawed, noting that those cases involved direct disobedience to court orders regarding the conduct of primaries. He maintained that no court has explicitly barred the ADC from holding its scheduled congresses or national convention. According to the party chieftain, INEC is overstepping its constitutional boundaries by attempting to dictate party activities. He emphasized that the commission’s role in internal party affairs is strictly "observatory" and that the ADC has already fulfilled its legal obligation by providing the mandatory 21-day notice for its upcoming events.

Allegations Of A "Hostile Takeover"

A central theme in Okonkwo’s rebuttal is the allegation that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is orchestrating a "hostile takeover" of the ADC. He claimed that certain actors are using a former member of the ADC’s National Working Committee (NWC) and Prof. Amupitan as "arrowheads" in a plot to destabilize the opposition. Okonkwo suggested that the suspension of recognition for David Mark as National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary is part of a broader agenda to ensure the ADC has no valid leadership structure in place for the 2027 general elections.