President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, October 23, 2025, swore in the sixth substantive chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor. Joash Amupitan (SAN).
President Tinubu at the ceremony held inside the State House Council Chamber, and witnessed by the leadership of the National Assembly, urged the new INEC boss to serve with integrity and beyond reproach. He advised him to approach his responsibility with the highest level of integrity, dedication and patriotism.. He charged him to protect the integrity of Ngeria’s electoral process and strengthen the institutional capacity of INEC.
Democracy is an unending journey full of many bumps. The electoral process is a vital part of that democratic journey because it grants the people the exclusive right to choose their leaders .
To inspire the confidence of the people, the chairman of INEC must be a man or woman of integrity or impeccable character with an unblemish past.
Senior lawyers, opposition politicians, human rights activists as well as critics of the current government have all testified to the integrity of Professor Joash Amupitan . This explains why his screening and confirmation didn’t face any challenge at the Senate.. The naysayers
who told a lie that he was part of the legal team that defended President Tinubu after the 2023 general elections couldn’t sustain it.
Professor Amupitan was a lecturer at the University of Jos and Deputy Vice Chancellor of the institution until President Tinubu selected him for the INEC job. He has expertise in the Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, Corporate Law, and Privatization Law. The 58- year- old Kogi born Professor is an advocate of electoral law reforms in Nigeria. Now , he has the opportunity to reform Nigeria’s electoral process.
Electoral integrity is crucial in sustaining democracy in a complex and multifaceted society like Nigeria. President Tinubu was right when he told the new INEC boss that to ensure that our democracy continues to flourish, the integrity of the electoral process must be beyond reproach.
All stakeholders, including the political parties, security agencies, non- governmental organizations and journalists must work with the the electoral commission to improve our elections.
The National Assembly has a very crucial role to play in ensuring credible elections by putting in place robust laws to guide the process. The Electoral Act is currently undergoing the process of amendment at the National Assembly. The lawmakers have to hasten the amendment process and introduce radical changes to the law ahead of the next general elections.
President Tinubu has done his part by appointing a man of integrity to head INEC. He has also promised not to interfere in the independence of the electoral commission. Let other stakeholders play their roles in ensuring free, fair and credible elections.
Professor Amupitan has pledged to abide by the laws of the land and work with his team to deliver a transparent electoral process.
The litmus test for the new leadership of the electoral commission
will be the November 8, 2025 governorship election in Anambra State.
May Professor Joash Amupitan succeed.
*Owaikhena Osikhekha is a Public Affairs Analyst based in Lagos.
