Amupitan: Lawyer Disputes Diaspora Rejection, Says 200 Attended Chatham House

BY OUR ABUJA CORRESPONDENT

The confrontation involving the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, outside Chatham House in London has exposed the growing battle over the commission’s credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections, with a UK-based Nigerian lawyer warning against presenting a handful of protesters as the voice of the Nigerian diaspora.

Otunba Dayo Babalola, who attended the Chatham House engagement, said the demonstration by between 10 and 15 individuals after Amupitan’s appearance was being deliberately misrepresented on social media as evidence of a wider rejection of the INEC chairman by Nigerians living abroad.

His intervention came amid mounting political scrutiny of INEC’s handling of the voters’ register and concerns over the credibility of the electoral process ahead of the next general elections.

The protesters had reportedly confronted Amupitan as he left the Chatham House venue, demanding explanations over alleged irregularities in the voters’ register and calling for his resignation.

But Babalola insisted that the demonstration was separate from the official engagement, which he said attracted close to 200 physical participants, mostly Nigerians who had registered to attend.

He added that about 374 people registered and participated online.
According to him, the INEC chairman made an insightful presentation on Nigeria’s democratic future, electoral preparations and regional stability, and responded to questions during the panel discussion.

Babalola said it was misleading to suggest that Amupitan was disgraced or prevented from performing his responsibilities at the event.

He said: “A handful of individuals cannot legitimately be presented as the voice of the entire Nigerian diaspora.”

The lawyer acknowledged the constitutional and democratic rights of Nigerians to protest against public office holders and demand accountability but warned against using political disagreements to distort events.

His position comes as INEC faces a critical credibility test ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition parties and other stakeholders questioning the integrity of the preliminary voters’ register.

The commission recently disclosed that it deleted 1,608,660 invalid registrations following its review of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
It also removed 873 records of deceased persons, bringing the total number of deleted records to 1,609,553.

In addition, INEC identified 54 persons across 10 states over alleged registration infractions.

These figures have placed the commission’s voter registration exercise under renewed scrutiny, particularly as political parties prepare for the 2027 electoral contest.

The London protest therefore represents more than a confrontation between an electoral umpire and a group of demonstrators. It reflects the wider struggle over public confidence in INEC, the credibility of its decisions and the ability of the commission to convince Nigerians that the next general elections will be free, fair and transparent.

However, Babalola’s account has also raised questions about the extent to which social media videos and politically charged interpretations of public events are shaping perceptions of Nigeria’s electoral institutions.

He alleged that some protesters were paid after he encountered them on Jermyn Street, claiming that a man wearing NDC-branded memorabilia made payments to members of the group.

He also said some of the demonstrators wore Peter Obi-branded memorabilia.
The lawyer did not provide documentary evidence to independently substantiate the alleged payments.

He maintained, however, that the protest should not be confused with the Chatham House engagement or treated as an expression of the collective views of Nigerians in Britain.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the incident has again highlighted the difficult task before INEC: defending its institutional independence, addressing public concerns over the voters’ register and rebuilding confidence in the electoral process, even as political disagreements over its preparedness intensify.