The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has pledged to eliminate the long-standing culture of excessive pre-election litigations that has hindered Nigeria’s democratic process.
Speaking yesterday at the 56th Annual National Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers (NALT) held at the University of Abuja, Amupitan stated that one of his main goals as INEC Chairman was to “end the courtroom warfare” that often began well before the actual elections.
The INEC chief, who assumed office just a week ago following his swearing-in by President Bola Tinubu, said the commission could no longer function in a system where more than 1,000 pre-election cases were filed before the 2023 general elections.
“That is not democracy. That is litigation by other means,” he declared.
According to him, the real solution does not lie in unending legal battles but in ensuring strict compliance with the law, starting from within the political parties.
Amupitan remarked, “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.”
He continued, “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 renowned academic, also called on the National Assembly to strengthen the nation’s electoral laws, maintaining that credible elections depend on sound legal frameworks and political parties that uphold true internal democracy.
While admitting that some members of the legal profession might not support reducing election-related cases, he stressed that such a move was crucial to restoring public trust in the electoral process.
“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.
Addressing an audience of law lecturers, students, and legal scholars at the conference themed “Law, National Development and Economic Sustainability in a Globalised World,” Amupitan urged the academic community to view law as a vehicle for reform and justice rather than personal gain.
He stated, “As law teachers, we must lead by example, building a generation that values integrity over influence and justice over convenience.”
Earlier, the President of NALT and Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Prof. John Akintayo, commended the INEC Chairman’s vision, emphasising that law remained the foundation of effective governance and sustainable national growth.
“A nation’s progress depends on how its laws anticipate, adapt to and shape change,” he observed.
In his own remarks, the Conference Chairman and Dean of Law, University of Abuja, Prof. Uwakwe Abugu, said this year’s event would highlight critical topics such as food security, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and legal reforms, which are key areas where law and governance must evolve to address modern realities.
