Nigeria’s new INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan plans to end constant pre election court battles.
He wants parties to follow rules so elections are decided at polling units, not courtrooms.
The new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, has declared that the long era of frequent pre-election court cases in Nigeria must come to an end if the country wants to strengthen its democracy. He said his administration will focus on reducing legal disputes that begin even before voting starts and continue until after results are announced.
Amupitan spoke on Monday at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers, hosted at the University of Abuja. The conference brought together law experts, lecturers and students to discuss the role of law in national growth.
He noted that the commission faced over one thousand pre-election lawsuits during the preparations for the 2023 general elections. According to him, this trend weakens the electoral system and creates confusion among citizens.
“That is not democracy. That is litigation by other means,” he said.
Professor Amupitan explained that reducing court involvement in elections is possible if political parties respect their internal rules and follow the laws guiding political activities in Nigeria. He stressed that most legal disputes originate within parties because of disagreements during primaries and candidate selection.
He said: “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.”
Amupitan, who assumed office less than a week ago after being sworn in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, added that democracy becomes stronger when defeated candidates accept results in good faith.
“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 stated.
The INEC boss also appealed to the National Assembly to improve Nigeria’s election laws. He argued that better legal standards and stronger political party systems would help build trust in the electoral process.
He acknowledged that the legal profession often benefits from election-related cases. However, he insisted that resolving elections in court instead of at polling units destroys public confidence.
“We cannot continue to allow the courts to determine our elections. Elections must be won at the polling units, not in the courtroom,” he said.
During his address, he encouraged law teachers and students to embrace their responsibility in building a just society. He urged them to raise a new generation of legal minds focused on fairness.
“As law teachers, we must lead by example, building a generation that values integrity over influence and justice over convenience,” he told the audience.
Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers, Professor John Akintayo, praised Amupitan’s plans for reform. He said that law plays a key role in development and economic progress.
Also speaking, the Conference Chairman, Professor Uwakwe Abugu of the University of Abuja, said this year’s program would focus on modern issues such as artificial intelligence, food security, biotechnology and legal reforms. He noted that these areas require updated laws to meet current global standards.
