ABUJA– THE Senate has confirmed the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan SAN as the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The confirmation of Amupitan yesterday was sequel to the screening exercise at the Hallowed Chamber yesterday where the Senators grilled the nominee of President Bola Tinubu for three hours, asking him questions which he answered.
After the grilling was done in the Committee of the Whole, the Senate resolved back to plenary where the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, asked if the confirmation was a true reflection of the House, and the ayes response was overwhelmingly resounding.
Akpabio said he was approved without any dissenting voice, and he asked him to carry on his job where votes would count.
Amupitan appeared before the Senators for three hours.
With the confirmation, Amupitan succeeds Professor Mahmood Yakubu who had served as chairman of the electoral body for ten years.
Earlier, Amupitan was allowed into the hallowed chamber after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central who moved that Order 12 be set aside to allow strangers into the chamber and he was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, PDP, Benue South.
Thereafter he came in at 12.50.
Before introducing himself to the Senators for question and answer session to take off, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio disclosed to his colleagues that the nominee has been cleared by the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA after vetting and finger printing.
According to Akpabio, the office of the Department of State Services, DSS had also cleared him.
The President of the Senate also said that the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP having done finger printing search done on him, he was cleared and said that he has no criminal records with the Police.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday written the Senate where he sought for the screening and subsequent confirmation of Professor Joash Amupitan ( SAN) as new National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) , for confirmation .
The President in a letter which was read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was seeking for for expeditious consideration and approval by the Senate .
The letter read: “In accordance with the provisions of section 154 subsection 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Attached is his curriculum vitae, while hoping that the Senate will consider and confirm the appointment of the nominee in its usual expeditious manner.
“Please accept, distinguished Senate President, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
Senator Akpabio accordingly forwarded the request to the committee of the whole for legislative action as soon as practicable
Answering questions from the Senators yesterday, Amupitan, the Kogi-born Professor of Law said that he was never a Legal Counsel to the All Progressives Congress-APC at the 2023 Presidential Electoral Petition at the Tribunal and up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Answering questions from the Senators during the screening exercise, Amupitan stressed that the law reports of those copies for the cases are out there for everyone to go and check if was part of the legal team of President Bola Tinubu.
He said, “I did not lead the legal team of the President at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. I did not appear at the Tribunal either at the Court of Appeal or at the Supreme Court.
Akpabio further asked whether the INEC chairman had served as part of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or Labour Party (LP) legal teams, to which he also responded in the negative.
“I was not a member of any team,” Amupitan, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Jos (UniJos) in Plateau State said.
Amupitan has also assured the Senate that he would ensure that he would as chairman of INEC, conduct elections where the losers will congratulate the Winners for the growth and development of the country, just as he promised that he would deploy drones to safeguard materials during elections.
He said, “Our ultimate goal is to make elections so credible that even the loser will be able to congratulate the winner in good faith just as a judge delivers judgment and both sides accept it as fair and just.
“Mr. President, distinguished Senators, the concern raised is indeed a major one and it reflects the worry of many Nigerians. One of the first things we must do at the Commission is to establish a credible internal mechanism to monitor the conduct and behavior of officials.
Answering another question, Amupitan who vowed that he would conduct an audit of the INEC results viewing (IReV) portal to address glitches that undermined public confidence during the 2023, noted that the purpose of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and IReV were to ensure the integrity of elections, a goal shared by election technologies worldwide.
He said, “I believe what happened in 2023 was subsumed as a glitch. Before the election, my understanding, based on a review of Supreme Court decisions, was that there was no clarity as to the purpose of IReV.”
The IReV portal was part of the technologies introduced by the commission to improve the transparency of the electoral process.
INEC had assured Nigerians that polling unit results would be uploaded to the portal in real-time during the 2023 presidential election, just as the portal remained inactive for an extended period, even after voting was concluded at some polling units, prompting suspicion from many Nigerians.
The new INEC Chairman who noted that the Supreme Court later clarified that IReV was not an electronic collation system, a position that was not adequately communicated by INEC before the election, said, “The IReV was supposed to be a safeguard for comparison because the laws made by this distinguished Senate did not do away with manual collation. However, IReV was supposed to provide some guarantee for checks and balances.
“On the issue of court decisions and technological systems, there has been confusion over certain innovations introduced by INEC, such as the electronic collation system. The Supreme Court has clarified some of these matters. When we assume office, we will assess the infrastructure on ground, review the technology, and adopt the best approach that enhances transparency and credibility in elections.”
Amupitan who also said he would work with relevant agencies like the National Identity Management Commission ((NIMC) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to improve the electoral process, said that he will audit the system to identify the actual issues and assess whether it is currently capable of meeting the electoral needs of the country.
He said, “I have to audit the system, if I’m given the opportunity, to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now.
“Because it is not just the INEC responsibility, but also the other agencies like NCC, NIMC and the service providers that will have to work together to ensure that we give Nigerians the technology that everybody will be happy about. There will definitely be an audit of what the system we are meeting and especially of the logistics of the election itself and ensure that the proper strategy is put in place. We all know the problem. So, we’ll find a proper strategy to be able to confront those problems headlong.”
The nominee who also promised to work on the area of logistics to ensure that the Commission uses clones to safeguard materials, said that there will be aggressive voters education and that logistics problems are issues that must be tackled to ensure improvement in the electoral process, saying, “we rely on third-party logistics to transport sensitive election materials. This is because some of the vehicles you see, are old, they don’t even go far. And when they drop the materials, they don’t even remain to bring back.”
He further said that one of the things that he will do is to work out an internal mechanism that we can use to train the behavior of humans, adding, “in the first place, I’m taking this position on trust and the people who I’m going to work with, they must also appreciate the fact that they are there on trust”.
Amupitan added that there was the need for an electoral offense commission that would be able to investigate perpetrators of electoral offenses.
He said, “I am taking this position on trust, and those who will work with me must also recognize that they are holding the trust of the Nigerian people. To maintain integrity, I intend to set up an Ethics and Compliance Committee within INEC to audit reported cases of misconduct.
“There have been numerous reports of electoral malpractice in the past, some of which were never properly addressed. In some instances such as in Bayelsa and Adamawa States, a few offenders were prosecuted and even convicted. We intend to follow through on such cases to ensure accountability.”
Amupitan who noted that the Commission will introduce a whistleblower policy within it to encourage people to report malpractices without fear of victimization, said, “We plan to develop a system that can detect, investigate, and prosecute misconduct — supported by forensic methods when necessary — and strengthen INEC’s internal disciplinary process to ensure that all those involved in wrongdoing are brought to justice.
“We may also introduce a whistleblower policy within INEC to encourage people to report malpractices without fear of victimization.”
In addition, I believe there is a need for legislative support, and we will collaborate with the National Assembly to strengthen the legal framework. For instance, there is an urgent need for an Electoral Offences Commission that can effectively investigate and prosecute electoral crimes. The current system lacks sufficient capacity for that.
Answering question on logistics and security of electoral materials, Amupitan said, “On the issue of security and logistics, I recognize that these are major challenges due to the size and diversity of our country. We will work closely with the Joint Committee on Election Security to enhance protection of materials, personnel, and voters — especially in high-risk areas.
“We will also invest more in logistics and technology to ensure that every part of Nigeria is adequately reached. If necessary, we can deploy innovations — such as drones and other secure means — to guarantee that election materials reach their destinations. No voter will be left behind. That will be our guiding principle.
“In terms of voter and civic education, INEC will carry out its mandate under Section 2 of the Act more aggressively. “We will embark on extensive civic and voter education campaigns to enlighten Nigerians about their rights and responsibilities. This will include capacity-building not only for INEC staff but also for all election stakeholders — political parties, their members, civil society groups, and the electorate at large.
“Regarding timelines and inconsistencies in the Electoral Act, I acknowledge that some provisions contradict each other. We will work to harmonize these timelines to remove ambiguity. A clear and consistent electoral timetable will help to build public confidence and reduce post-election disputes.
“On financial prudence, I assure this chamber that the laws already enacted by the National Assembly — particularly the Public Procurement Act and the Finance Act — will be strictly adhered to. INEC funds will be used only for the purposes for which they are appropriated, and we will seek ways to cut costs where possible without compromising efficiency.
“In summary, our approach will be guided by integrity, accountability, security, efficiency, and education — to ensure that elections in Nigeria truly reflect the will of the people.”
Speaking on behalf of Kogi senators, Sen. Sunday Karimi commendation the nomination of Amupitan saying “he won’t disappoint Nigerians.
“This is the first time Kogi is having one of its own as an INEC chairman. Let’s allow him work with his integrity in tact for our electoral process to yield positive results,” Karimi said.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio said: “Let me thank distinguished senators for the painstaking manner in which they handled this as a Committee of the Whole.
“I wish Prof. Amupitan well and pray that the services will improve the electoral process, lead to more transparency and ensure that every vote counts and that the winners are truly the ones that are announced,” he said.(NAN)
He further said, “In addition, I believe there is a need for legislative support, and we will collaborate with the National Assembly to strengthen the legal framework. For instance, there is an urgent need for an Electoral Offences Commission that can effectively investigate and prosecute electoral crimes. The current system lacks sufficient capacity for that.”
“Distinguished Colleagues, is it the view of the Senate that the nominee should take notes of all questions before responding? Those in support say ‘Aye’.”
“The Ayes have it. Professor Amupitan, please take your seat, note down the questions, and respond to them collectively.”
At the end of the exercise, Senator Buba Shehu, Bauchi South moved that Amupitan should then take a bow and go.