The newly sworn-in Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has arrived at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja and formally resumed office.
Amupitan is the sixth substantive chairman of the electoral body since the return of democracy in 1999.
He was accompanied to the INEC headquarters by members of his family and close friends.
Earlier on Thursday, President Bola Tinubu swore in Professor Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman at the State House in Abuja, a week after the Senate confirmed his appointment following a rigorous screening on October 16.
During the ceremony, President Tinubu charged the new chairman to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process and strengthen the institutional capacity of the commission.
“As Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, your nomination and confirmation reflect confidence in your capacity by both the Executive and the Legislature.
“Our democracy has come a long way in 25 years. To keep it strong, we must ensure that our electoral process remains free, fair, and credible.
“I therefore charge you, Professor, to protect the integrity of our elections and strengthen INEC’s institutional framework,” Tinubu has charged him.
Amupitan arrived at the State House earlier in the day, dressed in a white agbada paired with a gold cap, exchanging greetings with onlookers ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
He was accompanied by some presidential aides.
Restoring credibility to elections
During his screening at the Senate last week, the 58-year-old Professor of Law faced extensive grilling from lawmakers on how he intends to restore credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process and drive meaningful reforms within INEC.
Amupitan, who was nominated by President Tinubu and endorsed by the National Council of State, succeeds Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman recently ended.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria pledged to prioritise electoral reforms aimed at ensuring transparent elections and rebuilding public trust in the system.
“We must conduct elections where even the loser will congratulate the winner and say, ‘You won fairly and well.’ When that happens, voters’ confidence will naturally be restored,” he said.
Amupitan also clarified that he had no role in President Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Court, stressing that he neither represented the President, nor appeared for any of the opposition candidates.
“I never appeared before the Presidential Election Tribunal or the Supreme Court for any of the parties,” he told lawmakers, reaffirming his neutrality.
