By Myke Uzendu
A United Kingdom-based Nigerian lawyer, Otunba Dayo Babalola, has alleged that some protesters who confronted the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), outside Chatham House in London were paid to stage the demonstration.
Babalola, who said he was physically present at the event on Thursday, also dismissed claims that the demonstrators represented Nigerians in the diaspora, describing them as a small group of between 10 and 15 individuals.
In a statement on Saturday, the lawyer described reports and videos circulating on social media about the incident as a misrepresentation of what transpired, insisting that the protesters did not represent the views of Nigerians living in the United Kingdom or the wider diaspora community.
He maintained that the demonstration took place after the formal engagement and did not disrupt Amupitan’s participation in the event.
The INEC chairman had attended a Chatham House engagement titled, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” where he discussed Nigeria’s democratic future, the electoral process and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Reports of the protest emerged after a group of demonstrators gathered outside the venue as Amupitan was leaving, reportedly blocking his vehicle and demanding that he address allegations of irregularities in the voters’ register.
The protesters were also reported to have called for his resignation, accusing INEC of compromising its independence.
However, Babalola said Amupitan made what he described as an insightful contribution during the engagement and responded to questions from participants.
“I was physically present at Chatham House yesterday, and I can state categorically that the narrative being circulated on social media is a gross misrepresentation of what actually transpired,” he said.
The lawyer further alleged that some of the demonstrators wore memorabilia bearing the name of Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He claimed that the situation attracted the attention of Chatham House security and that the demonstrators dispersed after the police were called.
Babalola also alleged that he later encountered some members of the group on Jermyn Street, where he claimed to have witnessed a man wearing New Democratic Congress (NDC) memorabilia making payments to them.
He said the individuals insulted him after recognising him, adding that he responded sarcastically before walking away.
The lawyer also disputed suggestions that the Chatham House engagement was poorly attended, claiming that close to 200 people were physically present, while about 374 registered participants joined the programme online.
He insisted that the protesters were outside the premises and did not take part in the official engagement.
According to him, Amupitan was neither disgraced nor interrupted during the programme but fully discharged his responsibilities as a panelist.
“What happened outside the venue afterwards should not be deliberately conflated with the quality, substance or outcome of the official engagement,” he said.
While acknowledging the right of Nigerians to express political opinions and stage peaceful protests against public office holders, Babalola cautioned against presenting the actions of a few individuals as the position of the entire Nigerian diaspora.
He said political disagreements should not become an excuse for misinformation, sensationalism or deliberate distortion of events.
The lawyer added that his intervention was intended to correct what he considered misleading accounts of the incident and not to defend any political party.
The controversy comes amid scrutiny of INEC’s preliminary voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commission had disclosed that it removed 1,608,660 invalid registrations following a review of the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise. It also deleted 873 records of deceased persons, bringing the total number of deleted records to 1,609,533.
INEC further identified 54 persons across 10 states over alleged registration infractions.
