Newly-appointed INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has fired an audacious warning, saying that the era of politicians winning elections through courtroom battles is over.
According to him, “elections must be won at the polling units.”
Speaking at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) in Abuja on Monday, Amupitan vowed to end the flood of pre-election litigations that have long plagued Nigeria’s democracy.
“The courts cannot continue to determine elections,” he declared, promising to restore credibility and sanity to the process.
Barely a week after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu, the new INEC boss wasted no time addressing what he described as an “unsustainable trend” — over 1,000 pre-election cases filed before the 2023 general elections.
“That is not democracy; that is litigation by other means,” he said firmly.
Amupitan insisted that genuine reform must start within the political parties.
“If political parties obey their constitutions, respect the Electoral Act, and align with the Nigerian Constitution, the avalanche of pre-election cases will collapse,” he stated.
He stressed that under his watch, the law would serve as “an instrument of change, not chaos.”
“My desire is that when we get the law right, even the losers will be the first to congratulate the winner. That is when our democracy can be said to have matured,” he added.
Calling for stronger legislation, the INEC boss urged the National Assembly to tighten electoral laws and ensure true internal democracy in political parties.
While admitting that the reforms might not please everyone, Amupitan said restoring public confidence in elections remained his top priority.
“We cannot continue to allow the courts to determine our elections. Elections must be won at the polling units, not in the courtroom,” he maintained.
Addressing law teachers, students, and jurists at the event themed “Law, National Development and Economic Sustainability in a Globalised World,” Amupitan urged legal scholars to see law as a weapon for justice — not personal gain.
“As law teachers, we must lead by example—building a generation that values integrity over influence and justice over convenience,” he said.
The INEC Chairman attended the event with his wife, Prof. Yemisi Amupitan, a respected legal scholar and member of the NALT Board of Trustees.
NALT President and Dean of Law, University of Ibadan, Prof. John Akintayo, hailed Amupitan’s reformist tone, saying “a nation’s progress depends on how its laws anticipate, adapt to, and shape change.”
Conference Chairman, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu of the University of Abuja, added that this year’s meeting would focus on key national issues including food security, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and the need for legal reforms to meet modern challenges.
