“Elections Must Be Won at the Polls, Not in Courtrooms,” INEC Chairman Amupitan Declares

Barely a week after assuming office, the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has pledged to dismantle the entrenched culture of excessive pre-election litigations that has long undermined Nigeria’s democratic process.

Speaking at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) held at the University of Abuja, Prof. Amupitan described the avalanche of court cases that typically precede elections as a distortion of democracy and a threat to electoral integrity.

The INEC boss, who was sworn in recently by President Bola Tinubu, lamented that the commission recorded over 1,000 pre-election cases before the 2023 general elections, warning that such judicial overload cannot continue.

“That is not democracy — that is litigation by other means,” he declared.

Prof. Amupitan said one of his top priorities as INEC Chairman is to “end the courtroom warfare” that often begins long before ballots are cast. He emphasized that real reform must start with the political parties themselves, urging them to respect their constitutions and abide by the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution.

“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. “My goal is simple: to make the law an instrument of change, not chaos.”

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria and respected legal scholar argued that credible elections depend not on the volume of litigation but on the integrity of political processes. According to him, when parties and institutions get the law right, the electoral process becomes self-correcting.

“My desire is that when we get the law right, even the losers will be the first to congratulate the winner. That is when we can truly say our democracy has matured,” he said.

Amupitan called on the National Assembly to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral laws, stressing that robust legal frameworks and genuine internal democracy within political parties remain central to credible elections. While acknowledging that some lawyers might not welcome a reduction in election-related litigation, he maintained that reform is necessary to restore public confidence in the system.

“We cannot continue to allow the courts to determine our elections. Elections must be won at the polling units, not in the courtroom,” he insisted.

Addressing law teachers, students, and jurists at the conference themed “Law, National Development and Economic Sustainability in a Globalised World,” the INEC Chairman urged the legal community to lead by example in promoting justice and national reform.

“As law teachers, we must lead by example, building a generation that values integrity over influence and justice over convenience,” Amupitan charged.

In his remarks, Prof. John Akintayo, President of NALT and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ibadan, commended the INEC Chairman’s reformist vision, emphasizing that law remains the foundation of good governance and sustainable development.

“A nation’s progress depends on how its laws anticipate, adapt to, and shape change,” Akintayo said.

Also speaking, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, Conference Chairman and Dean of Law at the University of Abuja, noted that this year’s gathering would focus on emerging areas where law must evolve to meet modern challenges, including food security, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and legal reforms.

Prof. Amupitan’s remarks have since sparked optimism across Nigeria’s legal and political communities, with observers describing his stance as a decisive step toward returning elections to the people and rebuilding trust in the country’s democratic institutions.