New chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has vowed to dismantle the culture of excessive pre-election litigations that has long plagued Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers, NALT, at the University of Abuja, yesterday, Amupitan said one of his top priorities as INEC chairman was to “end the courtroom warfare” that often began long before ballots were cast.
The INEC boss, who assumed office barely a week ago, after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu, said the electoral umpire would not continue to operate in a system where over 1,000 pre-election cases were recorded ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“That is not democracy. That is litigation by other means,” he declared.
According to him, the solution lies not in endless legal battles but in strict adherence to the law, beginning with the political parties themselves.
Amupitan stated: “If political parties obey their constitutions, respect the Electoral Act and align with the Nigerian constitution, the avalanche of pre-election cases will collapse. My goal is simple: to make the law 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 we can truly say our democracy has matured.”
Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and respected academic, called on the National Assembly to strengthen the country’s electoral laws, insisting that the credibility of elections depended on robust legal frameworks and political parties that practiced genuine internal democracy.
While acknowledging that some lawyers might not welcome a reduction in election-related cases, he maintained that the move was 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 stated.
Addressing law teachers, students and jurists at the conference, with the theme, “Law, National Development and Economic Sustainability in a Globalised World,” Amupitan challenged the academic community to see law as a tool for reform and justice, rather than opportunism.
He said: “As law teachers, we must lead by example, building a generation that values integrity over influence and justice over convenience.’’
Earlier in his remarks, NALT President and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Prof. John Akintayo, commended the INEC boss’ vision, stressing that law remained the backbone of good governance and sustainable development.
“A nation’s progress depends on how its laws anticipate, adapt to and shape change,” he noted.
On his part, the Conference Chairman and Dean of Law, University of Abuja, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, said this year’s gathering would spotlight urgent themes such as food security, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and legal reforms, being areas where law and governance must evolve to meet modern challenges.