The Nigerian Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following a rigorous screening session on Thursday that lasted over two hours.
Amupitan, a 58-year-old professor of law, was nominated by President Bola Tinubu and received formal endorsement from the National Council of State last week. He succeeds Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman officially concluded earlier this month.
During his confirmation hearing, Amupitan pledged to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process and pursue reforms aimed at strengthening transparency and fairness. “Nigeria deserves elections where the loser will congratulate the winner,” he told lawmakers. “Credible elections are the foundation of democratic legitimacy.”
He highlighted inconsistencies in the electoral timeline and vowed to review the Electoral Act to address procedural gaps. “We’re going to see how an election is credible, so that the loser will come and congratulate the winner and say, ‘You won fairly and well,’” Amupitan said, likening the ideal outcome to a convict accepting a judge’s verdict as just.
Amupitan also addressed speculation surrounding his involvement in the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC). Responding to a question from Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), he categorically denied participating in the legal team that represented President Tinubu or any opposition candidates.
“I never appeared in the presidential election tribunal or at the Supreme Court,” he stated. “I was not part of it.”
The Senate’s confirmation of Amupitan marks the beginning of a new chapter for INEC, as the commission prepares for upcoming electoral cycles amid growing public demand for reform and accountability.