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The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, is every inch a gentleman. This preliminary assessment is to the best of my knowledge. If appearance is anything to go by, Amupitan is, indeed, a good man. Even during his screening by the Senate for confirmation of his appointment, the professor of law at the University of Jos, Plateau State and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), appeared calm and unruffled.
He did not disappoint Nigerians on what the job entails. He distinguished himself and demonstrated sufficient knowledge of the tasks ahead. He is eloquent. He knows the law. He is aware of his environment. He is aware of the burden of history his new job has thrown upon him. He came to the job at a time INEC is having credibility challenge. He came to the job at a time public confidence in the electoral body has waned irretrievably.
Since his confirmation as the electoral umpire, Amupitan has maintained the gentleman mien. Like his predecessor, Mahmood Yakubu, a professor of history, Amupitan has vowed to deliver the best election where the loser will be willing to congratulate the winner. Apart from former President Goodluck Jonathan, who did what Amupitan is alluding to, election losers in Nigeria hardly congratulate the winners. Even after going through the marathon court process to reclaim the always stolen mandate, the loser does not feel it appropriate to congratulate the winner after losing at the tribunal.
Nigeria’s electoral contest is acrimonious and violent. Nigerian politicians see electoral contest as a warfare in which every arsenal is deployed, including rigging, snatching of ballot boxes, vote-buying and manipulation of election results. In fact, some of our elections are marred by technical glitches. Prof. Mahood Yakubu told Nigerians so during the 2023 presidential poll.
Other elections conducted by Yakubu after the 2023 electoral fiasco were almost marred by one infelicity or the other. It reached a point when elections conducted by Yakubu’s INEC became predictable in favour of the ruling party. The Edo State gubernatorial poll was a glaring example. Towards the end of Yakubu’s tenure, most Nigerians have lost hope in INEC and its shambolic polls.
So our Joash Amupitan came to the job at the wrong time. I don’t envy him. The job of INEC chairman is not a tea party. It is not even a bazaar or a carnival. The INEC chairman’s job is a thankless job. No matter the outcome of an election, the INEC boss is always on trial. Public scrutiny of his performance is prompt and direct. The winner will always hail the impartiality of the umpire and the loser will accuse the umpire of partisanship. And in a country where the independence of the electoral umpire is in doubt, the umpire’s performance is criticized and lampooned.
Apart from Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, who conducted the June 12, 1993 election adjudged to be free, fair and transparent, other heads of INEC have not escaped the judgement of history as failed or compromised umpires. This is the burden facing Amupitan. Whether history will be fair or harsh to him will depend on his performance on the job. The Anambra gubernatorial election which returned Soludo for a second term was his litmus test. Even though opposition politicians decried its conduct and outcome, most people believe it was a free and fair contest. If there was rigging or any manipulation, all the parties were guilty. His major litmus test will be all outstanding off-cycle polls and the 2027 general election.
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Nigerians will judge Amupitan by his conduct of the 2027 election. The world is watching Nigeria and how the umpire will conduct the 2027 poll. History is also watching the Kogi-born INEC chairman. Aware of the burden of history, Amupitan has seized any available opportunity to assure Nigerians that he will deliver a world-class election in 2027.
And during the recent induction, orientation and retreat for new and current National commissioners of INEC in Lagos, Amupitan, who unveiled his reform agenda ahead of the 2027 elections, promised to make INEC, No. 1 election management body in Africa. This is a tall order. It is ambitious. It is also achievable.
According to Amupitan, INEC has a “golden opportunity to rewrite the history of elections in Nigeria.” And I believe him. I think that other Nigerians also believe him. “Our goal is clear: The 2027 General Election must be free and fair and be a watershed moment in Nigeria’s election history,” Amupitan clearly stated.
Like Yakubu, Amupitan is following a peculiar pattern of rhetoric. In Nigeria, we don’t lack men with fine ideas. What we lack is ability to fully implement those fine ideas. During campaigns, our politicians serenade us with those fine things we want to hear. They even promise us heaven on earth and those things pleasant to our ears. But in governance, they fail and betray us. Since 1999 when the nascent democracy came in force, we have had series of betrayed and failed promises. Although some politicians have demonstrated that they can fulfill their promises, many tend to betray us. This can explain why good governance is a rarity in this clime.
Amupitan should be different. He has a name to protect. He has a heritage to protect as well. His legacy should matter to him most than the allure of office. He has promised so much on the 2027 polls. He should go ahead and deliver his mandate. Nigerians should hold him to account. They are taking notes of his lofty promises. Amupitan should not fail. He should not betray us. To him, history beckons to do the right thing. Conducting a free and fair election is not a rocket science. It is doable. Nwosu did it. Amupitan can do it. However, it is a daunting task. It is also not insurmountable.
One of the problems with conducting elections in Nigeria is undue interference by the government in power. Former President Goodluck Jonathan has proved that the government in power can remain neutral in the conduct of a general election. Let those in power emulate the good example of Jonathan so that losers of election could willingly congratulate the winners as Joash Amupitan promised.
