Civil society organisations have warned that sustained attacks on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, can erode public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system and undermine the credibility of future elections.
The warning came during a world press conference convened by the Humanities Welfare and Social Development Initiatives in collaboration with a coalition of civil society organisations, where the groups condemned what they described as a “campaign of calumny” by sections of the political elite against the INEC chairman.
The position was contained in a statement released on Friday and signed by the National Convener of HUWESDI, Felix Attah, alongside other civil society stakeholders, namely Kennedy Tabuko (Niger Delta Democratic Initiatives), Usman Kankia (Arewa Youth Parliament), Akinnawo Oluwaseun (Initiative for African Youth Advancement Advocacy and Empowerment), and Shuaibu Abdulkadir (Nigeria Youth Advocacy for Good Governance Initiative).
“We condemn this recent development in totality as it threatens the existence of our democracy,” the coalition said, warning that persistent personal attacks on the electoral umpire could weaken institutional integrity and public trust.
