By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — The Dr. Agbo Major-led faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to resign over alleged non-compliance with court judgments concerning the party’s leadership dispute.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Major alleged that INEC had continued to recognise individuals no longer legally affiliated with the NNPP despite multiple court rulings affirming the party’s authentic leadership structure.
He said the situation amounted to a breach of democratic principles and warned that the faction would mobilise members nationwide for peaceful protests if the commission failed to comply with judicial pronouncements.
“We are not only defending our party. We are defending democracy, democratic values, the rule of law and the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system,” Major said.
According to him, the leadership crisis has been before the courts for over a year, resulting in judgments that validated the party’s congresses and recognised its Board of Trustees structure.
He added that the NNPP had complied with all required internal processes and submitted relevant documentation to INEC, but the commission allegedly failed to act on the court orders.
Major further claimed that a court had directed INEC to comply within 72 hours and file an affidavit of compliance within 14 days, but said the directive had not been obeyed months later.
He also alleged attempts to frustrate the judicial process, including pressure on the presiding judge, and questioned INEC’s reliance on correspondence from individuals he said were no longer party members.
“If INEC is dissatisfied with the judgment, it should appeal. Instead, it relies on letters from persons no longer recognised by the party,” he said.
Major disclosed that the faction had escalated its complaints to civil society organisations, diplomatic missions, including the United States, Germany and France, as well as international democracy support groups.
He stressed that while the NNPP remains committed to legal processes, nationwide protests remain an option if INEC continues to ignore court orders.
On preparations for the 2027 general election, Major dismissed reports of a final presidential candidate selection, describing earlier mentions as provisional discussions, and ruled out any coalition arrangement.
“We are not part of any coalition. We remain focused on building our platform independently,” he added.
The faction urged Nigerians and the international community to monitor developments, insisting that respect for court judgments is essential to safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.
