2027 Tensions: Olawepo-Hashim Demands INEC Chairman’s Resignation Over “Biased” Election Timetable

ABUJA — The political atmosphere in Nigeria has taken a volatile turn as former presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim launched a blistering attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the immediate resignation of its Chairman, Joash Amupitan.

The call for the Chairman’s exit follows the controversial release of the 2027 General Election timetable on February 26, which Olawepo-Hashim claims is a “scripted” move to hand an unfair advantage to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the heart of the outcry is INEC’s decision to move the dates for party primaries significantly forward. Olawepo-Hashim argues that while the commission has the power to set the date for general elections, it has no constitutional right to “dictate” the internal schedules of political parties.

“It’s not the business of INEC to dictate to parties when they should conduct nominations of candidates… INEC is not a headmaster that can impose what it wants on political parties,” Hashim stated during a press briefing on Saturday.

He further alleged that the early primary dates are a strategic trap designed to catch opposition parties off-guard while they are still entangled in internal disputes and court cases.

The veteran politician didn’t mince words, accusing Chairman Amupitan of working as an extension of the ruling party. He pointed to the recent Abuja Area Council elections—which many observers described as a “poor performance” by the commission—as proof that the current leadership cannot be trusted with a national mandate in 2027.

With the Electoral Act 2026 already causing a stir by pulling the general election dates forward to January 16, 2027, the internal pressure on political parties is reaching a breaking point. If the commission sticks to the current primary schedule, parties may have just months to finalize their candidates—a timeline many believe is “ill-thought-out.”

As political tensions rise, the question remains: Will INEC bow to the pressure of the opposition, or will they hold firm to the new “accelerated” calendar?