Tinubu Seeks Senate Confirmation for Amupitan as INEC Chairman

President Bola Tinubu has formally written to the Senate, requesting the screening and confirmation of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the substantive Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The communication was read during Tuesday’s plenary session by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who immediately referred it to the Committee of the Whole for legislative action. 

In his letter, the President urged senators to give “expeditious consideration” to the nomination, citing the constitutional requirement under Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The letter also included Amupitan’s curriculum vitae for the Senate’s review. 

Tinubu described Amupitan as “an apolitical figure of impeccable integrity,” pointing to his record of service and character as the basis for the nomination. 

The nomination comes on the heels of the National Council of State’s unanimous endorsement of Amupitan last week, a prerequisite step before his name could be forwarded to the Senate. 

Amupitan is slated to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose decade-long tenure concluded this month. Until a substantive chair is confirmed, May Agbamuche-Mbu, the most senior national commissioner, has held the acting role. 

In the same set of nominations, Tinubu also forwarded the names of Mrs. Ayo Omidiran as Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission and 28 additional nominees for various federal commissioner roles. 

Observers note that the Senate’s handling of Amupitan’s screening will set the tone for public confidence in INEC’s future independence and capacity to conduct credible elections ahead of 2027.