INEC yet to receive court order on ADC, Tinubu, says Amupitan

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has yet to receive Certified True Copies (CTCs) of recent Federal High Court rulings concerning African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the submission of President Bola Tinubu’s academic credentials.

INEC ​‌‌‍​‌‍⁠⁠‍‍​‍​⁠‌‌⁠‌​Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this while speaking at a news conference on the voter register on Monday in Abuja.

Responding to inquiries on the court order invalidating the candidacy of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the David Mark-led ADC leadership last week, Mr Amupitan said that the commission “does not act on social media reports” but strictly on verified legal documents.

“As of today, I have not received a Certified True Copy of the judgement of the Federal High Court because we don’t just act on the basis of what is on social media.

“I remember one of the judgements of the Supreme Court sometime ago where something was posted on social media, trended, and the Supreme Court disowned itself from it, leading to investigations.

“Normally, when we receive a judgment like that, it comes to the commission, first to the chairman, who asks for expert advice from the relevant department before it is taken to the commission for review,” Mr Amupitan said.

On the court ruling ordering him to present Mr Tinubu’s credentials, Mr Amupitan maintained that he would only take necessary legal steps once formally served with the court order.

“I have not received the order. So, when I receive the order, I will look at what the order says and then know what to do accordingly,” he stated.

Addressing the requests for early voting provisions for journalists, security agencies and INEC officials on essential duties, the chairman noted that the proposal remained constrained by existing statutory frameworks.

“INEC initiated the process for early voting as part of the amendment of the Electoral Act, but it did not find support from the National Assembly to make provisions relating to early voting.

“So, this is still not known to our law, but it’s going to still be a process of advocacy to ensure that this is done,” he said.

Mr Amupitan confirmed that the 54 registration officers recently indicted for sabotaging voter registration procedures were full-time staff of the commission, asserting that INEC would not cover up any wrongdoing.

“Yes, I have the list here. They are all staff of INEC, and we are taking steps. We are not covering anything; what I told you today is just the truth,” he added.

Clarifying concerns about AI-generated images detected on the voter register, Mr Amupitan announced immediate technological upgrades to block future vulnerability exploits.

“We have just directed the Director of ICT that our web camera should not be allowed again. Instead, we should have an app camera. It is what is on the app that will take pictures; don’t go and use any URL to begin importing pictures here and there.

“Just today, the commission also approved the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Governance Framework to improve on what we used to have, developed in collaboration with IFES and the UK High Commission,” he said.

He warned that individuals involved in deliberate double registration or digital infractions would face criminal prosecution alongside security agencies’ ongoing investigations.

“For those of our staff and members of the public deliberately involved in acts of crime, where there is a commission of a crime, persons involved will be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for necessary prosecution,” Mr Amupitan said.