The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) United Kingdom, Hon. Tunde Doherty, has denied ever being an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), dismissing claims linking him to the commission as “a coordinated wave of malicious falsehoods, deliberate misidentifications, and desperate propaganda.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, November 14, 2026, Doherty said: “Let me state unequivocally and for the avoidance of any doubt: I am Hon. Tunde Doherty, the duly elected Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) United Kingdom. I am not, nor have I ever been, an official, staff member, or delegate of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
The controversy followed the visit of INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to Chatham House in London on Thursday, November 12, 2026, where he spoke on Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. Afterwards, images circulated on social media showing a man in an APC-branded cap near the INEC chairman’s delegation, with critics alleging that the INEC chairman or his entourage had worn the ruling party’s insignia at an official engagement.
The allegation drew widespread scrutiny of INEC’s neutrality ahead of the 2027 polls, and the situation escalated when diaspora protesters blocked Prof. Amupitan’s vehicle outside Chatham House, demanding his resignation and accusing the commission of bias toward President Bola Tinubu and the APC. The protesters cited alleged irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register, including suspected duplicate registrations and AI-generated photographs.
Fact-checks later confirmed that the man in the APC cap was Doherty, not Prof. Amupitan or any INEC official. Social media activist VeryDarkMan acknowledged that he did not see the INEC chairman wearing the cap, saying it was Doherty who appeared in the footage. Questions persisted, however, over the propriety of the INEC chairman’s association with a partisan figure during an official assignment, with former presidential candidate Prof. Pat Utomi questioning why Nigerians should trust the electoral umpire’s independence when its chairman was seen in the company of a ruling party chieftain.
Doherty described the attempt to pass off his image as that of the INEC Chairman or a member of his entourage as “not only intellectually dishonest but a calculated insult to the intelligence of Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.”
On his presence at the event, he said: “Chatham House is a globally respected, public policy institute that hosts open dialogues on critical international and national issues. As the leader of Nigeria’s ruling party in the United Kingdom, I have every civic and democratic right to attend public discourse concerning the future of our great nation.”
He added that “wearing a cap bearing the insignia of the All Progressives Congress is a proud reflection of my political identity and leadership role within the party. Unlike those seeking to deceive the public, I have never hidden my partisan affiliation.”
Doherty further stated that “at no point did I arrive with, speak for, or act in any capacity on behalf of the INEC Chairman or his commission.”
He condemned the attack on Prof. Amupitan, saying: “I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Amupitan. It is therefore regrettable that he was subjected to such an attack by individuals allegedly sponsored and identified by their Obidient caps. Such acts of intimidation and violence have no place in a democratic society and must be unequivocally condemned by all well-meaning citizens.”
Doherty dismissed suggestions that his presence at the London venue compromised INEC’s independence, stating: “Any suggestion that my mere presence in the vicinity of a public London venue compromises the independence of Nigeria’s electoral umpire is absurd, baseless, and born out of sheer political desperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
He urged the public and media organisations to “disregard these fabricated narratives entirely,” adding that “rather than engaging in constructive debates on policies and governance, certain bad-faith actors have resorted to cheap sensationalism and visual manipulation to sow distrust in our democratic institutions.”
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