The Chairman-designate of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has dismissed reports linking him to President Bola Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) proceedings.
Speaking during his Senate screening on Thursday, the 58-year-old law professor clarified that he neither represented Tinubu nor any other presidential candidate in the case that followed last year’s general elections.
“You also talked about whether I was part of the presidential election team. I have also read it,” Amupitan said in response to a question from Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West).
“It is very simple to answer. The law reports on those cases are already out, and I even obtained certified true copies of the counsels that appeared. I never, I did not appear in the presidential election tribunal or at the Supreme Court.”
Amupitan further told the lawmakers that he did not represent Peter Obi of the Labour Party or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the same matter.
“I was not part of it,” he said, responding to a question from Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Senate Confirms Appointment After Two-Hour Screening
After over two hours of questioning, the Senate confirmed Amupitan’s nomination following a voice vote.
During the screening session, lawmakers grilled the nominee on how he plans to restore credibility to Nigeria’s electoral process and implement institutional reforms within the commission.
Amupitan was nominated by President Bola Tinubu and formally endorsed by the National Council of State last week.
With his confirmation, Amupitan becomes the sixth substantive chairman of INEC, succeeding Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure officially ended earlier this month.
