Abure Congratulates New INEC Chairman, Urges Him To Resist Political Pressure

Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has congratulated the newly sworn-in Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, while urging him to remain impartial and resist political interference in matters concerning the party’s leadership.

Abure’s message was contained in a congratulatory letter issued on Friday, where he also commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing the new electoral umpire, describing Amupitan’s emergence as timely for the protection of Nigeria’s fragile democracy.

“I must say that you came prepared to face the challenges and to help secure our fragile democracy. Nigeria craves for an umpire who is apolitical and whose past has testimonies of love for the nation,” Abure stated.

He appealed to the new INEC boss to demonstrate courage and fairness, adding, “Nigerians need a strong-willed umpire who will place the nation first and who will not succumb to cheap blackmail and little tricks by politicians.”

The Labour Party leader further urged Prof. Amupitan to ensure full compliance with existing court judgments affirming his leadership of the party and to direct the inclusion of LP candidates in the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections.

“As a worker in the temple of justice and one known to have always respected the rule of law, we urge you to revisit this abnormality and restore recognition to the current leadership of the Labour Party, as led by my humble self,” he added.

Abure also commended the immediate past acting INEC Chairman, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, for what he called “her effort to right the many wrongs of the previous leadership” and for initiating steps to address perceived infractions against the Labour Party.

President Tinubu had on Wednesday sworn in Prof. Amupitan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, charging him to protect the integrity of the electoral process and strengthen INEC’s institutional independence.

Amupitan’s appointment was confirmed by the Senate on October 16 following a rigorous screening, during which lawmakers praised his grasp of electoral management and reform issues.

The development comes barely a week after Abure appealed to INEC to release the access code required for uploading the Labour Party’s candidates for the forthcoming FCT polls — a request that the then acting chairman, Agbamuche-Mbu, had promised to review.