Prominent legal scholar Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, acted under undue external pressure when INEC withdrew recognition from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by former President David Mark.

In a post on X late Wednesday, Odinkalu said he had “impeccable” information that there was a pre-signed resignation letter associated with Amupitan’s appointment. He claimed the existence of such a letter was allegedly used as leverage to push Amupitan into issuing the INEC release that affected the ADC.

Odinkalu also noted that the decision came shortly after senior INEC officials reportedly met with representatives from the Presidency and judicial authorities, including Court of Appeal justices and the Federal High Court—raising concerns about how the commission is handling court judgments.

The legal scholar criticised INEC for what he described as interpreting the Court of Appeal’s decision on its own. According to Odinkalu, INEC should not interpret appellate court rulings, and any ambiguity should have been taken back to the court for clarification.

Beyond the immediate controversy, Odinkalu warned that the incident could be part of a wider plan to influence Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections. He suggested this could be done by limiting political competition and effectively restricting the space for opposition parties, leaving only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a permitted alternative.

“If these allegations are true,” Odinkalu said, “the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process—and potentially the stability of the country—could be at risk,” adding that it could undermine confidence in the fairness of the election.