Olayiwola Matthew
The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, appeared before the Senate on Thursday for his screening and confirmation.
Amupitan, who arrived at the National Assembly complex earlier in the day, exchanged pleasantries with Senators before entering the chamber. He was accompanied by Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo and other dignitaries.
At about 12:50 p.m., he was ushered into the Senate chamber by Senator Abubakar Lado, the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate). The session was convened after Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) moved that Order 12 be suspended to allow “strangers” into the chamber. His motion was seconded by Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio welcomed Amupitan, his family, and well-wishers to the Red Chamber. He informed Senators that the nominee had been cleared by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) after a comprehensive vetting process.
According to Akpabio, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police’s office had also cleared Amupitan, confirming he had no criminal record.
The screening commenced around 12:55 p.m., following Akpabio’s remarks outlining the procedures for assessing the nominee’s credentials.
Earlier in the week, President Bola Tinubu had nominated Amupitan — a Professor of Law at the University of Jos and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) — to succeed former INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who resigned from his position.
Tinubu’s nomination letter was read on the Senate floor during plenary on Tuesday.
Amupitan, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Jos, is widely recognised for his expertise in constitutional and international law. His nomination, however, has attracted mixed reactions from civil society organisations and political stakeholders, some of whom have called for deeper electoral reforms to strengthen INEC’s independence and transparency.
The screening centred on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and strategies to enhance the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
If confirmed by the Senate, Amupitan will lead preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections and set the foundation for the 2027 general elections.