Kenneth Okonkwo, a prominent chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has called on President Bola Tinubu to resign rather than contest the 2027 presidential election, while sharply criticising the President’s defence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mr Okonkwo, who also serves as spokesperson for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, condemned President Tinubu’s recent assertion that INEC remains neutral, describing the comment as deeply troubling for Nigeria’s democracy.
The President made the remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the State House, Abuja, dismissing concerns over the electoral body’s impartiality and suggesting that critics were “afraid of their own shadows.”
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Mr Okonkwo accused the President of functioning as the chief spokesperson for INEC rather than addressing legitimate concerns about its credibility.
“It is very sad. Any country that has a president who has morphed into the chief spokesperson of INEC is in trouble,” he said.
The ADC chieftain pointed to unresolved questions surrounding the 2023 general election, including a technical glitch that INEC has failed to satisfactorily explain to Nigerians.
“You can imagine President Tinubu telling the whole world that INEC is neutral. The same Tinubu who, during the 2015 campaign, said they would form a parallel government if INEC rigged the election,” Mr Okonkwo remarked.
“The same people who were once critical of INEC are now saying INEC is neutral. An INEC that recorded a technical glitch in 2023 and has not satisfactorily explained it cannot simply be declared neutral. We are urging INEC to be neutral; as of today, it is not.”
Mr Okonkwo further argued that the President’s performance in office—particularly concerning security and governance—would make re-election difficult in 2027.
“Tinubu should not even allow the election to hold; he should resign and go in peace,” he said.
Commenting on the recent Court of Appeal judgment that set aside an earlier ruling directing INEC to deregister the ADC and four other political parties, Mr Okonkwo claimed the opposition had successfully resisted attempts to undermine its existence through judicial means.
“I had boasted that ADC does not have any legal challenge because we know the only challenge it has is the APC trying to use some instruments in the judiciary to litigate us out of existence. We resisted them, and they are failing and falling like a pack of cards,” he said.
Mr Okonkwo also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to weaken Nigeria’s democratic process and stifle opposition activities ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the party as “a scourge” on the nation’s democracy.
The APC is yet to respond to Mr Okonkwo’s allegations.
