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The new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), has promised to restore confidence in the electoral process. He also assured Nigerians that INEC under his watch would conduct credible, free and fair elections. Amupitan stated this on Thursday when he appeared before the Senate for screening and confirmation of his appointment. He will also carry out reforms to strengthen the use of technology in our elections.
“Our goal is to make elections so credible that even the loser will be able to congratulate the winner in good faith,” the new INEC boss stated. Amupitan vowed to set up a whistle blower policy, electoral offences commission, internal discipline mechanisms and far-reaching reforms to restore credibility in the electoral system.
With his confirmation by the Senate, Amupitan becomes the sixth substantive head of the national electoral body since the advent of the current political dispensation in 1999. He succeeds the immediate past Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmmod Yakubu, who quit recently after 10 years of service. President Bola Tinubu had earlier nominated Amupitan for the job and he was unanimously approved by the National Council of State. He is the first person from Kogi State, North-Central region, to head the nation’s electoral body.
Born on April 25, 1967, the 58-year-old new INEC boss hails from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. After basic education, he attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, from 1982-1984, and the University of Jos from 1984 to 1987. He was called to the Bar in 1988 and did his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation, Bauchi from 1988-1989. Amupitan got his LLM in 1993 and PhD in 2007 from the University of Jos. He began his academic career in the University of Jos in 1989. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau State. Amupitan specializes in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance and Privatisation Law.
Before his appointment as INEC Chairman, Amupitan was the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), at the University of Jos. He was also the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State. With his rich resume, there is no doubt that Amupitan is eminently qualified for the new job of supervising national elections. During the screening at the Senate, he proved beyond doubt that he would do the job diligently.
The new INEC Chairman is coming to the job at a time of high expectations from Nigerians and other stakeholders. He is also coming to the job at a critical time when people’s confidence in the electoral system is waning. There is no doubt that the electoral body needs comprehensive reforms to enable it conduct credible, free and fair polls. INEC must be truly independent for any head of the Commission to conduct a credible election. We also need the deployment of adequate technology to improve on our electoral outcomes and make them believable and acceptable.
For losers of our elections to willingly congratulate the winners in good faith and without going to court, the process must be transparent. It must be seen to be so. The people must also see that the electoral process is clean. We believe that electronic transmission of election results in real time will strengthen our electoral process and make losers to accept the results and commend the winners.
With his shining resume, Amupitan should hit the ground running. There is no time to waste. Although the tasks before him are daunting, they are definitely surmountable. Although the buck stops at his table, he needs the cooperation of 12 National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners, permanent and ad hoc staff to succeed. In other words, it is a team job, which requires that all hands must be on deck for the desired goals to be achieved. Amupitan should write his name in gold by conducting the best election ever in the history of the country. It is doable.
His litmus test is perhaps the November 8 gubernatorial election in Anambra State. The election will be his first baptism of fire. His conduct of that election will determine how far he can go. We urge the new INEC Chairman to be fearless and courageous in the discharge of his onerous duties. At the same time, he must be bold and assertive and be willing to say no to those who will like to interfere in the affairs of the electoral body. The federal government should adequately fund the electoral body and grant it the much-needed independence to truly do its job. Our democracy will be strengthened when our elections are free, fair and credible.
There is no way the electoral body can do this job very well if its independence is abridged or curtailed. For the new INEC Chairman to succeed, he needs the support of all Nigerians, the politicians and their supporters, political parties, the voters and the security agencies. Nigerians expect much from the INEC boss. He should not disappoint them. We wish him a successful tenure.
