Kogi Youth Protest Against Pressure to Remove INEC Chairman

On Monday, hundreds of youth from Aiyetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State, staged a protest against what they described as politically motivated attempts to undermine the leadership of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The demonstrators, representing various youth and civil society groups, marched through the major streets of their community, voicing strong support for the independent electoral body.

They carried placards with messages emphasizing the importance of fair elections and warned against attempts to discredit the electoral system. The protest highlighted recent rumors circulating on social media regarding Amupitan, which the youth claimed were part of a broader agenda to weaken the electoral body.

INEC, in response, rejected calls for Amupitan's removal, labeling such demands as unconstitutional and a threat to the independence of the electoral body, as outlined in Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution.