On October 16, 2025, the Nigerian Senate officially confirmed the appointment of Joash Amupitan, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This confirmation followed a two-hour screening session where Amupitan expressed his commitment to maintaining the independence and credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process.
During his screening, Amupitan addressed lessons learned from the 2023 general elections, emphasizing the critical role of technology in ensuring transparency. However, he pointed out that the misinterpretation of the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal had caused confusion. He clarified that the IReV was never intended to serve as an electronic collation system, as later confirmed by the Supreme Court. Instead, it was meant to serve as a safeguard for comparison, complementing the manual collation process.
Amupitan further pledged to conduct a thorough audit of INEC’s technological infrastructure to ensure its reliability in future elections and promised to collaborate with other agencies to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.
After his presentation, Senator Shehu Buba of Bauchi South moved a motion for Amupitan to “take a bow and go,” a gesture typically reserved for distinguished nominees. The motion was seconded by Senator Olamilekan Solomon of Ogun West. Senate President Godswill Akpabio then put the confirmation to a voice vote, which was unanimously approved.
Amupitan, a highly respected academic and legal professional, takes over from Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure ended on October 7, 2025, amid national discussions on electoral reforms.
