Professor Pat Utomi, renowned political economist, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association to prevail on Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, to resign in order to prevent the “free fall” of Nigeria.
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In a series of posts shared on X on Monday, Utomi said religious leaders, traditional rulers, and senior lawyers in the country must redeem themselves and speak the truth.
The comments come days after Utomi delivered a pointed Easter message calling out senior lawyers and judges whom he accused of sacrificing Nigeria’s future through “unjust deeds regarding electoral laws and the rule of law.”
Utomi accused INEC, led by Amupitan — a Senior Advocate of Nigeria — of showing similarities with late Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union leader who was widely known for dictatorial tendencies.
The comparison to Stalin, one of history’s most notorious authoritarian rulers, represents a sharp escalation in criticism of INEC’s handling of the ADC crisis.
The political economist issued a stark warning to those who have remained silent on the crisis.
“Those who see truth and cloak themselves in the garb of silence, including religious leaders, senior lawyers, and traditional rulers, will someday dance naked in the marketplace. Speak now and redeem yourselves or forever live with the shame,” Utomi wrote.
Utomi directly called for Amupitan’s resignation, warning of dire consequences for Nigeria’s institutions.
“If the NBA cannot prevail on Amupitan to resign, the fall of Nigeria through institutional and moral safety nets has become a free fall,” he stated.
The professor warned that history would judge those responsible for the current crisis.
“History will hold all Lawyers and Amupitan accountable in a way that will embarrass the children of their children,” Utomi stated.
Utomi’s Monday comments built upon an Easter message he had posted on Sunday, in which he invoked the imagery of the resurrection to call out corruption in the legal profession.
“May the stone of love of money which makes senior lawyers and some judges sacrifice the future of Nigeria and their own children by unjust deeds regarding electoral laws and the rule of law be rolled away,” Utomi wrote.
The reference to “rolling away the stone” — an allusion to the biblical account of Christ’s resurrection — framed his critique as a call for moral renewal within Nigeria’s legal and electoral institutions.
Utomi’s comments appear to be a response to the recent decision of INEC to derecognise the factions of the African Democratic Congress led by David Mark and Nafiu Bala.
The commission said it took the decision following its review of the Court of Appeal judgment on the party’s leadership crisis.
But the Mark-led faction rejected INEC’s interpretation of the appellate court’s ruling, accusing the electoral body of acting under external pressure.
The decision of INEC has elicited criticisms on whether the commission correctly interpreted the order of the Court of Appeal.
The development means that ADC presently has no leadership recognised by INEC, effectively paralysing the party’s ability to organise ahead of the 2027 elections.
Professor Utomi’s escalating criticism of INEC and its chairman represents one of the most pointed attacks on the electoral body by a public intellectual since the ADC crisis began.
The comparison to Stalin — a leader synonymous with authoritarianism, political purges, and the suppression of opposition — is a grave accusation that suggests Utomi believes INEC is acting to eliminate political competition rather than regulate it fairly.
His call for the NBA to prevail on Amupitan to resign places pressure on the legal profession to take a position on the conduct of one of its most senior members.
The combination of his Easter message about “love of money” corrupting lawyers and judges, and his Monday call for Amupitan’s resignation, presents a narrative of institutional capture — where electoral and judicial bodies are allegedly being used to undermine democratic competition.
For the NBA, Utomi’s call presents a dilemma. Amupitan is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a respected member of the Bar. Any action by the NBA would be unprecedented and controversial.
For INEC, the accusation of “Stalin-like” tendencies from a respected academic and public figure adds to the growing chorus of criticism over its handling of the ADC matter.
For Nigeria’s democracy, Utomi’s warning about “free fall” through the collapse of “institutional and moral safety nets” echoes concerns raised by opposition parties, civil society organisations, and other commentators about the health of the country’s democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 elections.
The professor’s message is clear: silence in the face of what he perceives as injustice is complicity, and those who remain silent will eventually face the consequences of their inaction.
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