President Bola Tinubu has officially sworn in Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), marking the beginning of a new chapter for Nigeria’s electoral body.
The ceremony, held at the State House in Abuja on Thursday morning, comes a week after the Senate confirmed Amupitan’s nomination following a rigorous screening session on October 16.
Dressed in a white agbada and gold cap, the newly inaugurated INEC Chairman arrived at the Villa accompanied by presidential aides and exchanged pleasantries with dignitaries before the swearing-in.
In his address, President Tinubu charged Professor Amupitan to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process and strengthen the institutional capacity of INEC. He emphasized that free, fair, and credible elections are the foundation of a stable democracy and urged the new chairman to restore public confidence in the commission.
Professor Amupitan, 58, a Professor of Law at the University of Jos and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), succeeds Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman recently ended. He becomes the sixth substantive head of the electoral body.
During his Senate screening, Amupitan had pledged to prioritise electoral reforms that will ensure transparency and fairness in future polls. He vowed to build a system where election outcomes are widely accepted, saying, “We must conduct elections where even the loser will congratulate the winner and say, ‘You won fairly and well.’ When that happens, voters’ confidence will naturally be restored.”
He also dismissed speculation linking him to President Tinubu’s legal team during the 2023 presidential election petition, clarifying that he did not represent any party before the tribunal or the Supreme Court.
Amupitan, whose nomination was endorsed by the National Council of State, is expected to assume office immediately. His first major assignment will be overseeing the Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 8.
Born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Amupitan holds degrees from the University of Jos, where he also earned his LLM in 1993 and PhD in 2007. His expertise spans Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law.
Before his appointment, he served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos and Pro-Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
With his swearing-in, expectations are high that Professor Amupitan will steer INEC toward greater transparency, independence, and efficiency as Nigeria prepares for a new cycle of elections.
