The Nigerian Senate on Thursday confirmed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following an intense three-hour screening session in the Red Chamber.
The confirmation came after President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of Amupitan was read on the Senate floor earlier in the week, seeking swift legislative approval in line with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary, announced the confirmation through a voice vote after the Committee of the Whole screened the nominee. The decision was unanimous, with no objections raised by any senator.
Before the confirmation, Akpabio disclosed that the nominee had been cleared by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force, all of which confirmed that Amupitan had no criminal record.
During the screening, lawmakers pressed Amupitan on issues of transparency, neutrality, and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process. Responding, the nominee dismissed reports linking him to the All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team during the 2023 presidential election petition, describing them as “false and easily verifiable through court records.”
Amupitan assured senators that under his leadership, INEC would conduct elections where “every vote counts and losers congratulate winners.” He further pledged to prioritise logistics, technology, and voter education, while promising to introduce safeguards — including cloned materials — to prevent electoral manipulation.
Senate President Akpabio, while congratulating the new INEC chief, urged him to uphold the commission’s independence and credibility, saying, “You have been confirmed unanimously. Nigerians expect you to deliver elections where the people’s votes truly matter.”
The screening session, which began at 12:50 p.m., saw the Senate temporarily suspend its standing rules to admit Amupitan into the chamber, following a motion moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and seconded by Minority Leader Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).
President Tinubu, in his nomination letter, had described Amupitan as a scholar of distinction whose experience in law and governance would help strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework.
With Thursday’s confirmation, Professor Amupitan officially succeeds Mahmood Yakubu, taking over the leadership of INEC at a crucial moment when Nigerians are demanding credible and technology-driven elections ahead of 2027.
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