…Says INEC will be better under his watch

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Rev Emmanuel Olorunmagba, a former student of the University of Jos, has said that with the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the 2027 general elections will be fair, free and credible.

Speaking with Sunday Sun about the credibility of Professor Amupitan to conduct elections as the head of the electoral umpire, Rev. Olorunmagba, National Financial Secretary of the National Rescue Mission Party (NRM) said he had known Amupitan for the past 20 years, back at home and at the university.

Olorunmagba who hails from the same constituency – Ayetoro-Gbede in Ijumu LGA of Kogi State  with the new INEC Chair recalled that in 2023, he contested for a seat in House of Representatives but lost the election.

The NRM chieftain, who graduated from Unijos in 2004, said he was an undergraduate while Prof. Amupitan was a lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the university at the time.

He spoke further: “Shortly after I graduated he became Head of Public Law and subsequently Dean of the Faculty of Law before serving as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration).  Prof Amupitan is known to be an upright man who values his integrity and relates in honesty. He is a very humble academician, down to earth family man whose wife and children are known for exhibiting his kind of humility and honesty.

Therefore he is a man I know well both at work and from home and if woken up from a dream to testify about his moral standing, I will not hesitate to vouch for him.”

Olorunmagba commended President Bola Tinubu for taking the forthright decision to appoint Joash Ojo Amupitan, a senior advocate, as the next substantive chairman of INEC, adding: “With this giant step, INEC will get it right from 2027 and help Nigeria regain her pride among the comity of nations. If I was one of those to nominate INEC Chairman and Prof Amupitan’s name was part of those presented, I would nominate him over and over again. He is well seasoned in Electoral and Constitutional Law and being a man of good character who else do we need as a new INEC Chairman considering the level of ignominy the electoral body has brought on our dear country.

Olorunmagba added:  “I have always been a critic of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his party, All Progressive Congress (APC), but for this appointment just like that of the Chief of Defense Staff, I give kudos to him and all members of National Council of State that unanimously approved Amupitan’s appointment.

“Of course there is nothing any leader will do that will not attract criticism, either constructive or destructive criticism. But for those who truly love the progress of their country they engage only in constructive criticism geared towards nation building and not tearing the nation down just because we are in the opposition.

“Therefore, those who are arguing about the academic qualifications of Prof Amupitan are only just being sarcastic or totally ignorant. What I will say is that there is just no way a person can rise to the level Prof Amupitan has risen to in his career, especially in our great University of Jos if his academic qualifications are questionable in any way.

“And for those claiming he defended APC during the Election Petition Tribunal,  and trying to use that against him, in as much as I am not saying he was  part of APC legal team or not, but the fact is those saying so, either it’s true or not, they lack the understanding of how the Law profession works.

He said even though the new INEC boss is not from the core North, there is no doubt that the INEC seat still remains in the North because Kogi State is in the Northern region.

“On the issue of being of Okun (Yoruba) extraction, but from Kogi North Central, I will also give it to president Tinubu on the smart and good move. Over the years only when the votes of Okun people are needed as part of the north that people from other parts of the north who call themselves the core-northerners will remember that Okun people from Kogi State are part of north central.

“But after getting our votes (regarding us as northerners) to be added to votes from other part of the north and when it was time for good thing for the north or appointment, then they will suddenly realize that Okun people of Kogi State in north central are not part of the core-north, but that their portion is with the Yorubas of the South West alone.

“But president Tinubu has really shown that the people from Kogi State and Kwara State are also part of the north. Hence, we should also enjoy the dividends for the north and not only call north central only when our votes are needed,” Olorunmagba said.