The Presidency has responded to calls by African Democratic Congress (ADC) leaders for the resignation of INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, insisting they lack the standing to question his competence.
Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said the electoral umpire is highly accomplished both academically and professionally.
His remarks come after ADC Interim National Chairman, David Mark, alongside party figures like Rauf Aregbesola and Bolaji Abdullahi, urged Amupitan to step down during a press briefing in Abuja. Mark had also called on President Tinubu to remove the INEC boss, alleging he is unfit to oversee elections.
Reacting via X, Ajayi wrote: “We all can at least agree that the INEC chairman is at the top of his career academically and professionally – a teacher of law, Professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“What this means is he sure knows what ‘status quo ante bellum’ means.
“Senator David Mark, Mr. Peter Obi, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, certainly, can’t teach him what that latin legal maxim means.
“It is bad politics for ADC people to make their own internal crisis of choice a problem of Professor Amupitan, that of President Tinubu and APC.”