The appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has sparked hope and high expectations among Nigerians, who are calling for greater transparency and security in the nation’s electoral process. Amupitan’s nomination, unanimously endorsed by the National Council of State and awaiting Senate confirmation, comes at a critical time when citizens are reflecting on the tenure of his predecessor, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and demanding reforms to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan, a distinguished legal scholar from Kogi State, to the council as the first nominee from the North-Central geopolitical zone to lead INEC. “He is a man of integrity,” said Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, echoing the sentiment of council members who backed the nomination without dissent. Amupitan, born on April 25, 1967, in Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu Local Government Area, is a Professor of Law with expertise in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law. His academic and professional journey, which includes earning his LLB, LLM, and PhD from the University of Jos, as well as achieving Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) status in 2014, positions him as a formidable candidate to steer INEC’s mandate of conducting free and fair elections.
Residents of Nigeria, however, are clear about their expectations for the new chairman. Speaking to Observers Times, Amos Baney, a concerned citizen, expressed frustration with the outgoing chairman’s tenure. “My candid opinion on the outgoing chairman is that his job was not transparent enough. There were a lot of shortcomings during his tenure. People were complaining during the last election we all saw it. The introduction of electronic voting was a very good idea, but it was tampered with. In all indications, the election was going on, and suddenly you just hear that the server stopped, yet they went ahead to announce results. We felt it was an incomplete exercise, but he, being the chairman, went ahead to announce the results,” Baney said. He urged Amupitan to prioritise transparency, adding, “My advice for the incoming chairman is that he should be transparent enough. As the name implies, the Independent National Electoral Commission should be independent enough.”
Another resident, Oluwaseun, echoed Baney’s concerns, stating, “Concerning the previous chairman, there was no transparency. My advice for the new chair is that he should ensure transparency and also that there should be enough security on the ground during elections.” These sentiments reflect a broader public demand for an electoral process that is not only fair but also visibly credible and secure.
Amupitan inherits a weighty responsibility. INEC, established under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution, is tasked with conducting elections for federal and state offices, registering political parties, and maintaining voter rolls, which stood at 93,469,008 for the 2023 general elections. His predecessors set significant benchmarks: Justice Ephraim Akpata oversaw the 1999 transitional elections, Sir Abel Guobadia managed the 2003 elections with 60 million registered voters, Professor Maurice Iwu handled the contentious 2007 elections, Professor Attahiru Jega introduced biometric voter cards, reducing multiple registrations by 20%, and Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served from 2015 to 2025, debuted the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), accrediting over 21 million voters in 2023. However, Yakubu’s tenure was marred by controversies over server failures and allegations of electoral irregularities, fueling public distrust.
Amupitan’s academic and leadership credentials inspire confidence. At 58, he has risen from an assistant lecturer at the University of Jos in 1989 to Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Administration, overseeing a university with over 50,000 students. He has authored over 50 publications, including influential textbooks like Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008) and Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), which have shaped legal education and policy. His work on electoral reforms and corporate governance aligns with INEC’s objectives, such as the recent continuous voter registration that added 6.85 million voters.
Beyond academia, Amupitan has held key roles, including Pro-Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, board member of Integrated Dairies Limited, and member of the Council of Legal Education, which regulates Nigeria’s legal training. His philosophy that “safety and integrity” are the essence of the law resonates with citizens’ calls for a transparent and secure electoral process.
As Amupitan prepares to lead INEC, Nigerians are watching closely, hoping his tenure will restore confidence in the electoral system.
