Amupitan Vows That Losers Will Congratulate Winners Under His Tenure.

Amupitan.

The newly appointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, began his tenure with a pledge that elections conducted under his leadership will be so transparent that losers will willingly congratulate the winners.

Amupitan stated that this goal could only be achieved through collaboration with critical institutions such as the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and other relevant agencies.

He made this statement while addressing the Senate before and after his confirmation as INEC Chairman, following his nomination by President Bola Tinubu.

“Our ultimate goal is to make elections so credible that even the loser will be able to congratulate the winner in good faith just as a judge delivers judgment and both sides accept it as fair and just,” he said in response to a question during the screening.

Amupitan’s appointment was confirmed after an intensive three-hour screening by the Senate, where President Tinubu’s nominee was thoroughly questioned by the lawmakers.

After the screening session, the Senate returned to plenary, where the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, sought members’ opinions on the confirmation, and the resounding response of “ayes” indicated unanimous approval.

Akpabio declared that Amupitan had been confirmed without any objection and charged him to ensure that “every vote counts” in future elections.

With his confirmation, Amupitan officially succeeded Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman for ten years and stepped down on October 7.

Amupitan entered the Senate chamber at 12:50 p.m. after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), moved a motion to suspend Order 12 to allow non-members into the chamber. The motion was seconded by the Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South).

Before the question-and-answer session began, Senate President Akpabio informed the chamber that the nominee had undergone screening and clearance by the Department of State Services, DSS, the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the Inspector-General of Police, IGP.

Responding to questions, the Kogi-born law professor stated: “I did not lead the legal team of the President at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. I did not appear at the Tribunal either at the Court of Appeal or at the Supreme Court.”

He further clarified that he was never a member of the legal teams representing either the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or the Labour Party, LP.

“I was not a member of any team,” Amupitan said, noting that he previously served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Jos (UniJos), Plateau State.

On the conduct of elections, Amupitan assured that his priority is to build credibility in the electoral process. “Mr. President, distinguished Senators, the concern raised is indeed a major one and it reflects the worry of many Nigerians. One of the first things we must do at the commission is to establish a credible internal mechanism to monitor the conduct and behaviour of officials,” he said.

He also promised to audit the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal to correct the technical failures that affected confidence during the 2023 general elections. He explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and IReV were introduced to safeguard the integrity of elections, similar to practices in other democracies.

“I believe what happened in 2023 was subsumed as a glitch. 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,” he said.

The IReV portal, designed to enhance transparency, failed to function properly during the 2023 presidential election, as polling unit results were not uploaded in real-time, prompting public suspicion.

Amupitan explained that the Supreme Court later ruled that IReV was not meant to be an electronic collation system, adding that the clarification was not properly communicated to Nigerians before the election.

He noted: “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.

“On the issue of court decisions and technological systems, there has been confusion over certain innovations introduced by INEC, such as the electronic collation system. The Supreme Court has clarified some of these matters. When we assume office, we will assess the infrastructure on ground, review the technology, and adopt the best approach that enhances transparency and credibility in elections.

“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. Because it is not just the INEC responsibility, but also the other agencies like NCC, NIMC and the service providers that will have to work together to ensure that we give Nigerians the technology that everybody will be happy about.

“There will definitely be an audit of the system we are meeting and especially of the logistics of the election itself and ensure that the proper strategy is put in place. We all know the problem. So, we’ll find a proper strategy to be able to confront those problems headlong.”

Amupitan also called for the creation of an Electoral Offences Commission to investigate and prosecute electoral offenders.

He said: “I am taking this position on trust, and those who will work with me must also recognise that they are holding the trust of the Nigerian people. To maintain integrity, I intend to set up an Ethics and Compliance Committee within INEC to audit reported cases of misconduct.

“There have been numerous reports of electoral malpractice in the past, some of which were never properly addressed. In some instances such as in Bayelsa and Adamawa states, a few offenders were prosecuted and even convicted. We intend to follow through on such cases to ensure accountability.”

He revealed plans to introduce a whistleblower policy in INEC to allow individuals report cases of malpractice without fear of victimisation.

“We plan to develop a system that can detect, investigate, and prosecute misconduct, supported by forensic methods when necessary and strengthen INEC’s internal disciplinary process to ensure that all those involved in wrongdoing are brought to justice,” he said.

Addressing logistics and security challenges, Amupitan stated: “I recognise that these are major challenges due to the size and diversity of our country. We will work closely with the Joint Committee on Election Security to enhance protection of materials, personnel, and voters especially in high-risk areas.

“We will also invest more in logistics and technology to ensure that every part of Nigeria is adequately reached. If necessary, we can deploy innovations such as drones and other secure means to guarantee that election materials reach their destinations. No voter will be left behind. That will be our guiding principle.

“Regarding timelines and inconsistencies in the Electoral Act, I acknowledge that some provisions contradict each other. We will work to harmonise these timelines to remove ambiguity. A clear and consistent electoral timetable will help to build public confidence and reduce post-election disputes.

“On financial prudence, I assure this chamber that the laws already enacted by the National Assembly, particularly the Public Procurement Act and the Finance Act will be strictly adhered to.

“INEC funds will be used only for the purposes for which they are appropriated, and we will seek ways to cut costs where possible without compromising efficiency.

“In summary, our approach will be guided by integrity, accountability, security, efficiency, and education to ensure that elections in Nigeria truly reflect the will of the people.”

Meanwhile, the Senate’s plan to begin consideration of the 2022 Electoral Act Amendment Bill was halted yesterday as the bill was stood down.

Both the Senate and House Committees had earlier conducted a public hearing on Monday on the 2025 Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which proposed that presidential and governorship elections for 2027 be held in November 2026, rather than in February or March of the election year.

However, deliberations stalled after the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong (Plateau South), presented the lead debate.

Lalong explained that the bill, first read on October 8, 2025, was not just an amendment but a comprehensive reform aimed at strengthening and modernising Nigeria’s electoral framework.

He said: “The 2023 general elections tested our democracy in profound ways. While the Electoral Act, 2022 delivered some landmark innovations, it also exposed deep flaws of our country’s electoral system with critical gaps -delays in the release of election funds, disputes over the voter register, conflicting interpretations of result transmission, widespread litigation from party primaries, and weak enforcement of electoral offences.

“Nigerians expect us to respond not with patchwork corrections, but with a holistic, future-facing law that restores faith in our elections.”

According to Section 4 (7) of the proposed amendment, “Elections into the office of the President and Governor of a State shall be held not later than 185 days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of the office.”

This provision means the 2027 elections must take place in November 2026, as 185 days before May 29, 2027, falls within that month.

Tensions arose during the general debate when Senator Titus Zam (Benue North East) supported the bill’s progression to a second reading, as earlier suggested by Senator Binos Yeroe.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio interrupted, asking Senator Zam to explain the key amendments proposed for consideration.

After Zam spoke, Akpabio invited Senator Lalong to clarify the major aspects of the amendment.

Akpabio said: “What is particularly important to me is what happened during the 2019 elections. I was unfairly treated, so we went to court. But what followed were multiple divisions, one after another.

“The legislation was clear, yet those who were supposed to uphold it acted otherwise. The returning officer, instead of being treated fairly, was turned into a scapegoat.

“The court had ordered the prosecution of the electoral commission, but instead of prosecuting the responsible officials, they went after the returning officer, a professor from the University of Calabar, who had served in the academics for 34 years. He was wrongly sentenced to three years in prison.

“They claimed the professor tried to assist Senator Akpabio. But if he was truly trying to assist him, why were my votes the ones affected? How did security agencies end up hijacking the result sheets to his office, which is against the Electoral Act?

“If the returning officer was really helping Senator Akpabio, how come he couldn’t manipulate the collation centre or the headquarters that handled the final results? Clearly, something went wrong, and justice was misplaced.

“Another issue is the election timeline. Campaigns run for eight months, and then there’s an additional three-month period before the polls. When politicians are later appointed as ministers, it affects the structure of governance.

“For instance, there are deadlines, six weeks or two months for international engagements, such as securing visas or other formalities.

“So, when you add all that time to the campaign and pre-election processes, it means a significant part of the four-year term is lost. Those meant to serve the nation effectively barely have time to make a real impact.

“These are the lessons we must draw. If we want to fix our electoral system, we must hold the right people accountable and ensure that INEC and other institutions do their jobs without bias or political manipulation.

“In a nutshell, the nitty-gritty of amendments being sought for in the 2022 Electoral Act for the proposed 2025 Electoral Act must be stated clearly before considering the bill for second reading.”

Consequently, the Senate, following a motion by its leader, Senator Bamidele, seconded by the Minority Leader, Senator Moro, resolved to stand down further consideration of the bill.