President Bola Tinubu has formally asked the Senate to confirm Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the endorsement of his nomination by the Council of State last week.
In a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary on Tuesday, Tinubu said the appointment was made in line with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and urged lawmakers to give the request their “usual expeditious consideration.”
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” the President wrote, enclosing the nominee’s curriculum vitae for review.
Senator Akpabio referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for consideration “as soon as practicable.”
In a separate communication, Tinubu also sought Senate confirmation for Mrs. Ayo Omidiran as the new Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, alongside 28 other nominees for Federal Commissioner roles, including Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi from Kwara State.
Amupitan’s nomination comes amid intensifying public debate over electoral integrity and institutional independence. He is expected to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who stepped down after nearly a decade as INEC chair—a tenure marked by both sweeping reforms and lingering controversies over election conduct.
Opposition parties and civil society groups have already expressed cautious scepticism about the appointment, insisting that the new chairman must demonstrate genuine independence in a political climate where confidence in INEC remains fragile.
Tinubu, however, defended his choice before the Council of State, describing Amupitan as “an apolitical figure of impeccable integrity,” whose selection was guided by “record of service and character.”
The Senate’s confirmation hearings, expected in the coming days, are likely to serve as an early test of the administration’s commitment to electoral credibility and transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
