Dare Babalola
The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The Red Chamber confirmed Amupitan after a voice vote by the lawmakers and after undergoing screening and answering questions posed by members of the Senate.
Earlier Amupitan pledged to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), logistics and processes, particularly those used during the 2023 general elections.
This audit aims to identify challenges and develop effective solutions in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Amupitan emphasised the need for reforms, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling that the use of INEC’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV) was not part of the results collation system.
He, however, pointed out that this fact was not made known to Nigerians prior to the 2023 general elections.
“A lot of people thought it was part of the results collation system but the Supreme Court said it is not,” he said.
He said that there is a need for an electoral offences commission to help investigate and prosecute electoral offences.
“INEC does not have the capacity for investigation and prosecution at the moment,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu nominated Amupitan, a Professor of Law from the University of Jos, to succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Jos, Amupitan, is widely regarded for his expertise in constitutional and international law.
The screening session is expected to focus on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and measures to deepen the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
