October 16, (THEWILL) — Professor Joash Amupitan, a nominee for the chairmanship of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has dismissed claims that he once served as part of President Bola Tinubu’s legal defence team.
Speaking before the Senate on Thursday, Amupitan stressed that he had “never taken part in proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal or at the Supreme Court” on behalf of Tinubu. He insisted that claims tying him to the president’s lawyers were unfounded.
“I never appeared in the presidential election tribunal at the Supreme Court. Mentorship will not compromise my principle or my standard”, he declared.
The clarification came after some senators raised concerns about his impartiality, arguing that any connection with the president’s legal camp could cast doubts on his ability to run INEC without bias.
Amupitan used the screening session to outline his priorities if confirmed as electoral chief. He promised to strengthen voter education, expand civic training to schools, and encourage greater participation of women, young people and persons with disabilities in elections.
“There is a need for voter education, and it is the mandate of INEC. We will have basic courses and modules that will be downloaded by voters, along with capacity training.
“On the participation of women and persons with disabilities, I believe the time is right for that. The policies and laws must be put together for that purpose. When we notice necessities like that, we will require legislative interventions so that they are encapsulated in law. With NIMC and INEC working together, we will capture that”, he assured.
On the debate over whether INEC should take over local government elections, the nominee advised caution. While acknowledging growing public demand for reform, he warned that such a shift could overstretch the commission’s current resources.
“The conduct of local government elections has been debated widely. The view of most people is that the power should be handed to INEC because of what has happened in the local government and area councils. They already use data compiled by INEC, but the question is whether that will add another burden on INEC. We will look into it, but I cannot provide an answer for now”, he noted.
Lawmakers are expected to continue deliberations before deciding whether to confirm his appointment.
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