Prof. Pat Utomi warns INEC against politicisation, calls out NBA silence

Politics

ABUJA, April 6, 2026 (NPA) — Professor Pat Utomi, Nigerian scholar, political economist, and public intellectual, has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against becoming a tool in the hands of politicians bent on undermining national institutions.

In a series of posts on his X account today, Utomi criticized those who remain silent in the face of injustice, including religious leaders, senior lawyers, and traditional rulers. He warned: “Those who see truth and cloak themselves in silence will someday dance naked in the marketplace. Speak now and redeem yourselves, or forever live with the shame.”

Utomi particularly called out the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for its silence regarding recent administrative actions taken by INEC Chairman, Professor Amupitan. He argued that if the NBA fails to act, Nigeria risks a “free fall” in institutional and moral safeguards. “History will hold all lawyers and Amupitan accountable in a way that will embarrass the children of their children,” he wrote.

He further condemned Amupitan’s alleged embrace of Stalin’s infamous dictum that “those who vote decide nothing, those who count the vote decide everything,” describing it as a betrayal of democratic principles. “We thought Amupitan was an intellectual and lawyer. Instead, INEC seems bent on proving Stalin right,” Utomi added.

In a strongly worded appeal, Utomi urged that the “stone of love of money” which drives some lawyers and judges to compromise electoral justice be rolled away, alongside the “stone of desperation for power” that leads politicians to abuse institutions without regard for long-term damage.

Utomi’s intervention highlights growing concerns over electoral integrity and the role of Nigeria’s legal and political elite in safeguarding democracy.