President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Nigerian Senate to confirm the appointment of Prof. Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The president's request was made in a letter addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read at plenary on Tuesday. According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the National Council of State had, on October 9, unanimously approved Prof. Amupitan’s appointment.
Prof. Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, will succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman ended recently.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu noted that the request for confirmation was in line with Section 154(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Tinubu expressed confidence that the Senate would expeditiously consider and confirm the nomination.
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Prof. Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” the letter read.
The Senate President, after the letter was read, referred the confirmation request to the Committee of the Whole for further legislative input.
Prof. Amupitan’s potential appointment comes at a critical time for INEC as the commission prepares for future electoral processes.
