Joash Amupitan has been confirmed as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Senate.
The confirmation took place after Amupitab’s screening on Thursday by the upper chamber, following a grilling session by senators who probed him on his plans to restore credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process and implement meaningful reforms within the commission.
Amupitan, who is a lawyer, was nominated by President Bola Tinubu and also formally endorsed by the National Council of State.
He succeeds Mahmood Yakubu, becoming the sixth substantive chairman of INEC.
Speaking on his plans as the commission’s boss, Amupitan shared that he would examine the Electoral Act to strengthen the credibility of Nigerian elections.
He noted inconsistencies in the timeline of elections in Nigeria, adding that it can be improved upon.
“So, 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’.
“So if we can do that, it’s just like a judge convicting a person, sentencing him to death, and he (convict) says, ‘Well done, because I believe I’ve gotten justice,’” Amupitan stated.
Credit: The Sun