Youth members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have launched the “Operation Occupy INEC” campaign across Lagos, Ogun, and Jigawa states, demanding the immediate resignation of INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan and the restoration of the party’s David Mark-led leadership.
The youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday commenced a series of protests at the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos, Ogun, and Jigawa states. Tagged “Operation Occupy INEC” and organized under the #AmupitanMustGo campaign, the demonstrators are calling for the immediate resignation of the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan. The protests follow a leadership dispute sparked by the commission’s alleged derecognition of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by former Senate President David Mark, which the youths claim was lawfully installed during a National Executive Committee meeting in July 2025.
In Lagos, the demonstration was scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. at Yaba College of Technology, while the Ogun State wing planned to gather at the NNPC office in Abeokuta by 11:00 a.m. The party’s National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, who announced the mobilization via social media, asserted that the action is a necessary defense of democratic order. The youths are demanding that INEC respect the rule of law and reinstate the Mark-led leadership, which they claim had been previously verified and officially recognized by the commission in September 2025 before a sudden reversal.
The “Occupy” movement marks an escalation of tensions that began earlier this month when ADC youths issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the electoral body. During a previous gathering in Lagos, protesters displayed placards insisting that the commission’s current stance amounts to institutional sabotage and partisanship. Articulating the group’s position on the platform X, Rufai wrote: “Lagos ADC Youth Wing has taken a firm and peaceful stand, occupying INEC to deliver a clear message: the rule of law must be respected, due process must be upheld, Amupitan must resign immediately, and the Senator David Mark-led leadership must be restored without delay.”
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