Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in central Nigeria to defend the country’s embattled electoral chief, alleging that a high-level political campaign is being waged to “blackmail” him out of office.

The demonstrations in Aiyetoro Gbede, the hometown of Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, saw youths and civil society activists marching through the streets of Kogi State on Monday. The protesters, some on motorcycles and others on foot, brandished placards reading “Enemies of Fairness, Beware” and “Fair Elections Start with Amupitan.”

The show of support follows weeks of intensifying pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with opposition figures and some rights groups questioning the chairman’s neutrality amid a series of controversial rulings on internal party leadership.

‘An Attack on Democracy’

The protest leader, identified only as Segun, told reporters that the local community would resist any attempt to malign the Professor’s character, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a prominent legal scholar.

“Prof. Amupitan is a man of integrity,” he said. “Any attempt to remove him unjustly is an attack on democracy itself.”

The local backlash highlights a growing divide in Nigeria’s political landscape: while critics in the capital, Abuja, accuse the commission of “regulatory overreach,” the chairman’s supporters in his home region view the allegations as “sponsored propaganda” aimed at weakening the electoral body ahead of key provincial elections.

The Constitutional ‘Shield’

In a parallel development in Abuja, INEC has formally rejected calls for the chairman’s removal, describing such demands as “unconstitutional.”

In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Adedayo Oketola, the commission reminded its critics that the chairman’s tenure is protected by Section 157 of the Nigerian Constitution. Under this law, a removal can only be triggered by the President and must be backed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate—a high legal threshold designed to safeguard the commission’s independence.

“The Commission will not be distracted by unfounded allegations,” the statement read, adding that its recent decisions were guided strictly by “compliance with court rulings.”

Analysis: A Hometown Defense

In Nigerian politics, the “hometown protest” is a powerful symbolic tool. By rallying in Aiyetoro Gbede, supporters are sending a message to the political elite in Abuja that Professor Amupitan has a solid base of support that will not easily be moved.

However, for the international community and domestic observers, the focus remains on the looming “off-cycle” elections in Ekiti and Osun later this year. These polls will be the first real-world test of the “Amupitan Era.” The chairman would be looking to convince a skeptical opposition that his commission is truly independent.

The ‘One-Party’ Accusation

The row is part of a broader national conversation regarding the alleged “partisan affiliation” of some of the commission’s recent nominees. Critics fear the body is being tilted in favor of a “one-party agenda”—a claim INEC has dismissed as a “misrepresentation of facts,” citing its continued recognition of multiple opposition parties.

As the protesters in Kogi dispersed on Monday evening, the political atmosphere in the country remains charged, with all eyes now on the High Court’s upcoming ruling on the opposition leadership crisis.