The 58-year-old Professor of Law was subjected to over two hours of questioning by lawmakers, who grilled him on his plans to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process and introduce meaningful reforms within the commission.
President Bola Tinubu had nominated Prof. Amupitan for the position, and his appointment was earlier endorsed by the National Council of State. He now succeeds Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who has completed his tenure as INEC chairman, making Amupitan the sixth substantive head of the electoral body.
In his remarks, the new INEC boss emphasized the need for credible elections, stating that the goal of his leadership is to ensure a process where even the losing candidate would congratulate the winner.
According to him, “We must get to a point where elections are so credible that the loser will shake hands with the winner and say, ‘You won fairly.’ That’s the kind of justice I want to see in Nigeria’s democracy.”
Prof. Amupitan also pledged to review the Electoral Act to strengthen its framework and address inconsistencies in Nigeria’s election timelines. He said credible elections are vital to restoring voter confidence in the system.
Addressing allegations that he was part of the legal team representing President Bola Tinubu at the 2023 Presidential Election Petition Court, Amupitan denied the claims outright.
“I was never part of the legal team for President Tinubu, Peter Obi, or the PDP during the tribunal hearings,” he clarified, explaining that court records confirm he was not among the listed counsels in any of the cases.
The confirmation received applause from the senators, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio urging the new INEC boss to uphold fairness and transparency in all future elections.
