Samuel Omang
The Senate will today, Thursday, October 16, 2025, screen Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) for confirmation as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A circular issued on Wednesday by the Director of Information for the Senate, Bullah Audu Bi-Allah, announced that the screening will take place at the Senate Chamber, National Assembly Complex, Abuja, with full media and live television coverage expected.
The move follows President Bola Tinubu’s request for the Senate’s “expeditious confirmation” of Amupitan’s appointment, as contained in a letter read on the Senate floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday.
Tinubu stated that the appointment was made “in line with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” describing Amupitan as “an apolitical figure of impeccable integrity.”
Amupitan’s nomination comes after the National Council of State’s endorsement last week, marking the end of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu’s decade-long tenure at the helm of INEC. The development is being closely watched nationwide, given renewed debates about INEC’s independence and credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Meanwhile, the Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has cautioned against attempts to ethnicise Amupitan’s nomination. In a statement signed by its Convener, Chief Jacob Edi, the group condemned “divisive commentaries and social media tirades” questioning the President’s choice of the Kogi-born scholar.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Professor Amupitan is an Okun man from Kogi State, one of the minority nationalities in Northern Nigeria. His appointment should be celebrated rather than politicised,” Edi said.
He noted that Amupitan’s nomination is historic, being the first time in 65 years that someone from a northern minority group has been appointed to lead Nigeria’s electoral commission since its establishment in 1959.
Edi further warned against “the unfortunate trend of delegitimising northern minority appointments,” stressing that such attitudes “undermine national unity and progress.”
The NNMG described Tinubu’s choice as a bold step toward inclusivity and equity, urging Nigerians to focus on competence rather than ethnicity.
“The time for ethnic arithmetic is over,” the statement read. “The era of competence, fairness, and national responsibility must begin in earnest.”
If confirmed, Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and university don, will oversee the implementation of electoral reforms and guide INEC toward preparations for the 2027 general elections.