The Nigerian Senate, on Thursday, October 16, 2025, confirmed Professor Joash Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman.
The Senate confirmed Amupitan as the INEC Chairman after a screening process and a voice vote was conducted by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The confirmation came after President Bola Tinubu had announced the nomination of Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman.
How the Screening Process Went
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Amupitan had arrived at the National Assembly complex earlier around 11:30 am on Thursday.
He was accompanied to the chamber by the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, and other dignitaries.
Shortly before the screening exercise began, Akpabio had read a letter addressed to the Senate by Tinubu.
In the letter, the President sought expeditious consideration and approval of Amupitan as the INEC Chairman.
The letter reads: “In accordance with the provisions of section 154 subsection 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Attached is his curriculum vitae, while hoping that the Senate will consider and confirm the appointment of the nominee in its usual expeditious manner.”
After reading the letter, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved that Order 12 be set aside to allow visitors into the chamber, and he was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).
This order allowed Amupitan to enter the Red Chamber around 12:50 p.m. He was ushered into the Senate chamber by the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abubakar Lado.
Before introducing himself to the Senators for the question and answer session to take off, Akpabio disclosed to his colleagues that Amupitan had been cleared by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) after vetting.
The Senate President also disclosed that the Department of State Services (DSS) had also cleared Amupitan for the job.
Akpabio also revealed that the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, having done a fingerprint search on him, cleared him and said that he had no criminal records with the police.
The screening exercise commenced at about 12:55 p.m. following Akpabio’s opening remarks, during which he outlined the procedures to be followed by the lawmakers in considering the nominee’s credentials.
The screening session focused on Amupitan’s vision for credible elections, his plans for institutional reforms within INEC, and measures to deepen the use of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.
What Amupitan Said
During his address, Amupitan denied the speculation that he was part of the legal team that represented Tinubu at the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC).
Amupitan made this known while responding to a question raised by the lawmaker representing Bayelsa West, Senator Seriake Dickson.
He stated: “You also talked about whether I was part of the presidential election team. I have also read it.
“It is very simple to answer. The Law reports on those cases have been out. And even when I was coming, I decided to have certified true copies of the counsel that appeared.
“I never, I did not appear in the presidential election tribunal and at the Supreme Court,” the 58-year-old Law professor said while
He also denied representing Peter Obi of the Labour Party or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the tribunal.
“I was not part of it,” he stated Akpabio asked him whether he was part of the legal teams of the opposition.
Speaking further, Amupitan also disclosed that he will conduct an audit on the INEC results viewing (IReV) portal when he assumes his position as the chairman.
According to him, the audit is needed to address glitches that undermined public confidence during the 2023 elections.
Amupitan noted that the purpose of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and IReV is to ensure the integrity of elections, a goal shared by election technologies worldwide.
“I believe what happened in 2023 was subsumed as a glitch,” he said.
“Before the election, my understanding, based on a review of Supreme Court decisions, was that there was no clarity as to the purpose of IReV.
“The IReV was supposed to be a safeguard for comparison because the laws made by this distinguished Senate did not do away with manual collation. However, IReV was supposed to provide some guarantee for checks and balances.
“I have to audit the system, if I’m given the opportunity, to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now,” he said.
Senate’s Confirmation
After about two hours of screening, Akpabio called for a vote to confirm Amupitan as INEC Chairman.
The lawmakers voted in support of the confirmation of Amupitan.
“The nominee answered questions from distinguished senators and took away written submissions as a working document on topical electoral issues,” Akpabio said while announcing the confirmation.
“Accordingly, the Senate hereby approves the nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
Following his confirmation by the Senate, Amupitan will oversee preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections and lay the groundwork for the 2027 general elections.
