0
0
The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following his nomination by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Amupitan’s confirmation came on Thursday after an exhaustive screening session that lasted several hours, during which he fielded questions from lawmakers on issues relating to electoral reforms, institutional integrity, and the deployment of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The screening, held in the Committee of the Whole, saw senators across party lines endorsing the nominee.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, subsequently put the confirmation to a voice vote, which was unanimously approved.
President Tinubu had earlier forwarded Amupitan’s name to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive head of the electoral body, following the expiration of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure.
In his presentation, the new INEC boss pledged to uphold transparency and fairness in the conduct of future elections.
He also emphasized the need to strengthen the use of technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), to enhance the credibility of the process.
Security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, had reportedly cleared Amupitan before his confirmation, with no adverse findings recorded.
Amupitan, a distinguished professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, hails from Kwara State and has held several academic and administrative positions, including serving as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Jos.
His appointment brings to an end the brief acting leadership of Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, who had overseen the Commission pending Senate confirmation of a substantive chairman.
All eyes are on Prof. Amupitan as he assumes the critical task of steering Nigeria’s electoral umpire towards more transparent and credible polls in the years ahead.
Average Rating