Okonkwo further dismissed Amupitan’s comparison, maintaining that the Zamfara and Rivers cases involved defiance of court orders, not compliance with INEC directives.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nollywood actor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Kenneth Okonkwo, has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, is trying to discourage his party from proceeding with its internal processes ahead of the 2027 elections.
He levelled the allegation against the INEC boss on Friday in a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) page.
The thespian was reacting to comments made by Amupitan on Arise News, where the chairman warned that the ADC risks a situation similar to past electoral crises in Zamfara and Rivers States if it proceeds with its congresses without complying with court orders.
Asked during the interview about the implications of proceeding with the convention, the INEC boss cautioned the ADC against it.
He said: “If they decide to go ahead, let me tell you what happened in Zamfara: it happened in the past. At the end of the day, after you have won, the court will declare the election invalid, and the implication is that the person with the second-highest number of votes will be declared the winner. It happened in Plateau State.”
The electoral body had earlier removed the names of former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola from its official portal as National Chairman and National Secretary of the ADC, respectively.
The commission added that it has suspended recognition of all factions within the party.
Reacting to this, Okonkwo, who described Amupitan as “a liar,” accused him of making misleading claims regarding the party’s planned congresses and convention.
While dismissing the chairman’s comparison, Okonkwo insisted that the situations in Zamfara and Rivers were based on disobedience to court rulings, not directives from INEC.
He argued that no court has barred the ADC from conducting its congresses or primaries, adding that the party had fulfilled its legal obligation by notifying INEC within the required 21-day window.
“INEC is not a court and has no role in any party’s primaries or congresses. Its role is merely observatory,” he stated.
Okonkwo further alleged that Amupitan’s comments revealed an ulterior motive to derail the party’s participation in the 2027 general elections.
“It is clear he is trying to discourage the ADC from going ahead, knowing full well that this will mark the end of ADC participation in 2027,” he said.
He also described the ongoing dispute within the party as a “hostile takeover attempt” allegedly backed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming that certain actors were using a former member of the ADC’s National Working Committee to advance the plot.
Okonkwo maintained that the matter currently before the court is unrelated to the conduct of congresses and primaries, noting that the legal dispute began before such issues arose. He insisted that those behind the alleged plot would fail, stressing that the party remains committed to proceeding with its scheduled congresses and national convention.
He wrote: “Amupitan incompetently compared the ADC’s situation with Zamfara and Rivers. I really pity this professor’s interpretation of facts and law. He is not displaying intelligence in lying. The issue of Zamfara and Rivers was hinged on disobedience to court orders, not INEC directives. No court has ordered the ADC not to proceed with its congresses and primaries. INEC is not a court and has no role in any party’s primaries or congresses. Its role is observatory, which it is not compulsory for it to do. The mandatory issue is the giving of 21 days’ notice to INEC for the congresses, which the ADC has done.
“It is pertinent to note that Amupitan exposed his intent unknowingly here when he was trying to discourage the ADC from going on with the congresses and primaries, knowing full well that this will mark the end of ADC participation in 2027. This man is dubious.
“The members who took their parties to court in Zamfara and Rivers were against the manner of conduct of congresses and primaries. It was not a party leadership struggle. The ADC situation is a hostile takeover attempt of the ADC by the APC, using a resigned member of the NWC of the ADC and Amupitan as the spearheads. They will fail. The matter has nothing to do with congresses and primaries. When the matter started in court on 2nd September 2025, the issue of congresses and primaries had not arisen. Shame on Amupitan, the liar!”
