
public affairs analyst, Victor Oluwafemi and INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan
A public affairs analyst and development consultant, Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, has cautioned against mounting demands for the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, describing such calls as hasty and potentially damaging to Nigeria’s democratic stability.
In a statement he personally signed, Oluwafemi urged calm and strict adherence to due process, stressing that accountability must be pursued within the framework of the law rather than through public pressure.
“While accountability remains central to any functioning democracy, the manner, tone, and timing of these demands raise serious questions about intent and consequence,” he said.
He argued that it was important to determine whether the agitation was based on verifiable institutional breaches or driven by political considerations.
Oluwafemi also expressed concern over positions taken by groups such as the African Democratic Congress and the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, warning that such moves could set a troubling precedent.
“When institutions begin to respond to pressure instead of process, democracy itself becomes negotiable,” he stated.
According to him, Nigeria’s constitutional provisions clearly outline how an INEC chairman can be removed, insisting that such a process cannot be driven by public sentiment or media campaigns.
“The removal of the INEC Chairman is not a matter for public sentiment or media campaigns, but one strictly governed by law,” he said, urging that all allegations be subjected to judicial scrutiny.
“At this stage, restraint is not only advisable but essential. In every serious democracy, accusation must travel through the courts, not through microphones.”
The analyst further warned against what he described as growing reckless public commentary on sensitive national issues, noting that inflammatory rhetoric could heighten political tension.
“Public commentary on matters of national importance must be measured, responsible, and evidence-based. The consequences of careless rhetoric are neither theoretical nor distant,” he said.
He pointed to recent electoral cycles that recorded over 200 incidents of election-related violence, attributing part of the unrest to premature delegitimisation of institutions.
“Words, when recklessly deployed in a fragile political climate, can become triggers rather than expressions,” he cautioned.
Oluwafemi urged political actors, civil society groups and media commentators to act responsibly, stressing that public discourse should strengthen, not weaken, democratic institutions.
“Freedom of expression must never become a licence for institutional erosion,” he added.
He maintained that his intervention was not in defence of any individual, but a call to uphold constitutional order and democratic processes.
“A nation does not strengthen its democracy by removing officials through pressure, but by upholding the systems designed to hold them accountable,” he concluded.




