The Obidient Movement has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify the whereabouts and official engagements of its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, after National Commissioner Prof. Rhoda Gumus appeared as Acting Chairman at an official meeting with an African Union delegation in Abuja.
In a statement on Wednesday, the movement’s National Coordinator, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the appearance raised questions about when and why Amupitan handed over his responsibilities to Gumus.
The development followed an INEC post on X on Tuesday, September 15, identifying Gumus as Acting Chairman while receiving the AU Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission to Nigeria.
The delegation, led by former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, visited INEC headquarters in Abuja as part of its assessment of Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Gumus is a serving National Commissioner and is listed among INEC’s national commissioners on the commission’s official website.
Tanko said the movement was concerned that, to its knowledge, INEC had not publicly communicated the circumstances of Amupitan’s absence or any formal handover of duties.
“As far as the Obidient Movement and Nigerians are concerned, there was no official communication of Professor Amupitan’s handover to anyone, either in acting or substantive capacity,” he said.
“This raises legitimate questions about the Chairman’s current location, official schedule and the circumstances surrounding his absence.”
The group called on INEC to state where Amupitan was, when he left Abuja, the purpose of his absence and who authorised it.
It also asked the commission to clarify whether the chairman had travelled outside Nigeria and, if so, disclose the official engagements undertaken during his absence.
The movement further asked whether Amupitan had met, or was scheduled to meet, President Bola Tinubu, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress or any representative of the ruling party.
Tanko said the questions were prompted by INEC’s constitutional responsibility for conducting elections and the need for public confidence in its leadership ahead of the 2027 polls.
“As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections, the INEC Chairman cannot operate in secrecy,” he said.
The movement also questioned what Tanko described as Amupitan’s alleged “antecedents and strong affection for the APC”, calling on INEC to demonstrate transparency and political neutrality.
“The era of the INEC Chairman having strategy meetings with the APC and the ruling party must be a thing of the past,” Tanko said.
“Nigerians do not trust this INEC Chairman or the Commission he leads, so it behoves him and the Commission to not only be transparent and non-partisan, but to also be seen as such.”
Tanko added that the electoral commission belonged to Nigerians and that its leadership should remain accountable to the public.
“It is important to reemphasise that the electoral commission belongs to the Nigerian people. Its leadership must therefore be accountable to the public and must not leave room for speculation about secret political engagements, especially given their many past antecedents and the crisis of confidence that the Commission continues to face,” he said.
The movement subsequently called on INEC to publicly state Amupitan’s whereabouts and account for his official engagements.
The call comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Efforts to obtain a response from the commission were unsuccessful. INEC Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, could not be reached by phone as of the time of filing the report.
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