LP demands reversal of Osun REC redeployment

The National Vice Chairman (South West) of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has faulted the transfer of the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mutiu Agboke, describing it as unconstitutional.

He also urged President Bola Tinubu to reverse the decision and reinstate him.

Arabambi, who stated this while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, expressed concern over what he described as a pattern of administrative actions within the Independent National Electoral Commission which threaten Nigeria’s democracy.

Ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026, INEC, on April 8, transferred Agboke to Ondo State.

Defending the decision, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, stated that the redeployment was a routine administrative measure and should not be interpreted as interference in the forthcoming Osun governorship poll.

Arabambi, however, insisted that the appointment, tenure, and removal of RECs were not matters to be decided at the discretion or convenience of the INEC chairman.

Arabambi referenced the Third Schedule, Part 1, Item F, Paragraph 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) as well as Section 154(1), which provides that Resident Electoral Commissioners are appointed by the President and require Senate confirmation.

He argued that the situation involving Agboke represented a clear breach of the constitutional framework, insisting that the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), has no constitutional authority to remove a REC.

The Labour Party chieftain further alleged that by acting on a petition reportedly submitted by the Osun State APC Chairman, Amupitan exceeded his constitutional limits.

According to him, this amounted to allowing a partisan political figure to influence the composition of electoral officials in a politically sensitive state ahead of an upcoming election.

He stated, “Where is the committee of investigation? Where are the terms of reference? Where is the evidence that Agboke was given a fair hearing, an opportunity to defend himself against these allegations?

“Your Excellency, these are not mere technicalities. These are the pillars of natural justice and constitutional governance.

To remove a man from his post based on a partisan petition without due process is to impugn his integrity, damage his reputation, and destroy the career of a public servant without a shred of proof.”

Arabambi challenged the INEC chairman to produce evidence showing that Agboke was given a fair hearing before his removal

He insisted that the decision was taken without presidential approval and Senate confirmation, arguing that it exceeded the chairman’s constitutional authority.

The LP chieftain warned that the action set a dangerous precedent where any political party chairman could trigger the removal of a REC through a petition.

He continued, “If one consequential politician in Osun State can trigger the removal of a REC, then what stops similar actors in Edo, Ondo, or Kogi from doing the same?

“The APC state chairman in Osun is not above any other citizen. His petition was not investigated. No evidence was provided. No right of reply was granted. And yet, Prof Amupitan took the law into his own hands.

“He has impugned the integrity of a fellow man without due process. He has acted as though he is the accuser, the judge, the jury, and the executioner. This must stop.”

Against the backdrop, Arabambi urged the President to rein in Amupitan, insisting that he must not allow the APC to be perceived as interfering with or manipulating electoral officials to influence election outcomes.

He warned that such a perception could be politically damaging, particularly in the South-West.

Arabambi asked the President to direct Prof Amupitan (SAN) to immediately return Agboke to Osun State as the duly appointed REC, as his removal was unlawful, unconstitutional, and without due process.

“Second, remove Toyin Babalola from any role in Osun State or any other state. I call on you, Mr President, to issue a binding directive that no REC shall be transferred or removed within 90 days of any election except through the full constitutional process outlined in Section 157(1)—that is, by the President with a two-thirds majority of the Senate, based on proven misconduct or inability to discharge functions.

“The people of Osun State should be left alone to vote for whoever they want as their governor, free from the meddling of compromised officials. That is the only path to a credible election and a peaceful 2027,” Arabambi said.