A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), has dismissed speculations making the rounds that the newly nominated Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), was part of the president’s legal defense team in the 2023 legal brawl occasioned by the outcome of the presidential election which was dragged to the Supreme Court for determination.
Giving more insight into what has now been tagged a mix-up, the learned silk in an exclusive message to Empowered Newswire, an online platform described the claim, widely circulated on WhatsApp and other social media platforms as “false and misleading,” saying that Professor Amupitan had no formal or informal role in Tinubu’s legal representation during the high-profile tribunal case in 2023.
“That is not true. Professor Amupitan was not a member of our legal team to my knowledge, and I am in a position to know,” Akintola stated.
Akintola, who offered more detailed insight into how the legal defence team was structured, recalled that the group was divided into two principal sections. The first, known as Sub-Team A, was responsible for representing President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“It was led by the veteran legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun (CFR, SAN, FCIArb), who served as the overall head of the defence.
The second section, Sub-Team B, according to him, was under the leadership of Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN, FCIArb), who currently holds the position of Attorney-General of the Federation,” Akintola said.
Within Sub-Team A, Akintola explained that there existed a clear hierarchy.
Chief Olanipekun, he said, functioned as the team leader, while Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Alli (SAN) acted as his deputy. They were supported by other eminent legal minds, including Professor Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) — also known as Atoyebi Snr (SAN) — Chief Mike Igbokwe (SAN), and Chief A.J. Owonikoko (SAN).
According to him “overseeing the coordination of the entire legal operation was Chief Babatunde Kwame Ogala (SAN), who ensured strategic alignment and consistency between the two sub-teams
He further noted that while the sub-teams had several other Senior Advocates and hundreds of junior counsel assisting in various capacities, Amupitan was not among them.
“There were 7 other SANs in this sub-team who were very junior to the aforementioned names, and Professor Amupitan was not one of them,” Akintola clarified.
“In Sub-Team B, we had myself (Chief Niyi Akintola), Chief Akin Olujinmi (OFR, SAN), Chief Charles Edosomwan (OFR, SAN), Chief Afolabi Fashanu (SAN), Solomon Imoh (SAN), and several others. At no point was Amupitan part of the structured legal defence, whether as a lead, associate, or volunteer.”
Whike responding to claims that Amupitan might have joined the defence team as an unlisted volunteer, Akintola dismissed that too:
He said: “He was not even one of the volunteers to the best of my knowledge. Anyone who wants to verify should simply obtain the official court filings at the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court or contact Chief Babatunde Ogala (SAN), who coordinated the entire process and has the authentic list of counsel briefed by our clients.”
Chief Akintola then cautioned against what he described as a “deliberate attempt to malign” the reputation of Professor Amupitan, whom he described as a respected academic and apolitical professional.
“There is no point trying to cast aspersions on the nominated candidate for the position of INEC Chairman. Professor Amupitan, SAN, in his own right, qualifies to hold public office irrespective of his calling. He is apolitical, erudite, not flippant, and a complete gentleman,” he said.
The controversy it would be recalled reared it’s head earlier in the week after several social media accounts and civic groups alleged that Professor Amupitan recently nominated by President Tinubu and approved by the Council of State as INEC Chairman was one of the lawyers who defended Tinubu’s 2023 presidential election victory.
The claim, amplified by an unknown group named “The Good Governance Group” and circulated on WhatsApp, suggested that Amupitan’s role in the legal team raised ethical and institutional concerns about his ability to lead an independent electoral body.
However, Akintola’s detailed clarification appears to cast significant doubt on those claims, offering a rare insider’s account of the tightly organized legal defense that successfully upheld Tinubu’s election at both the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and the Supreme Court.
Source: Newswire
