BREAKING: Senate Confirms Prof. Joash Amupitan as New INEC Chairman

• The Senate has confirmed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman, following a tough three-hour screening that tested his integrity, neutrality, and vision for electoral reform.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after an exhaustive three-hour screening session at the National Assembly.

Amupitan, nominated by President Bola Tinubu, faced probing questions from senators on his integrity, political neutrality, and plans to reform Nigeria’s electoral system before receiving unanimous approval without a single objection.

Presiding over the confirmation, Senate President Godswill Akpabio declared the nominee approved after a voice vote and urged him to “carry on with the job where votes will count.”

During the screening, Amupitan firmly denied ever serving as legal counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 presidential election petitions, emphasizing that official court records are publicly accessible to verify his claim.

He assured the Senate that under his leadership, INEC would deliver elections “where losers will congratulate winners,” pledging to restore public confidence through transparency, logistics reform, and extensive voter education initiatives.

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Amupitan also revealed plans to introduce advanced security measures — including cloned materials — to safeguard sensitive election resources and curb tampering.

Before entering the chamber at 12:50 p.m., the Senate suspended its standing orders to admit him, following a motion by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) and seconded by Minority Leader Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).

Akpabio noted that Amupitan had been vetted and cleared by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force, confirming he had no criminal record.

President Tinubu had earlier written to the Senate urging Amupitan’s prompt confirmation, citing Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution and describing him as a competent legal scholar capable of strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.

Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and professor of law, was subsequently confirmed in what observers described as one of the smoothest yet most thorough screening sessions for an INEC chair in recent years.