President Bola Tinubu has written to the Senate, seeking the confirmation of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The request was contained in a letter read by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, during Tuesday’s plenary session. Tinubu, in the correspondence, urged the lawmakers to give the nomination their usual expeditious consideration.
The President explained that the nomination was made in accordance with Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” the letter read in part.
The Senate President thereafter referred the nomination to the Committee of the Whole for consideration “as soon as practicable.”
In a separate letter, Tinubu also sought the confirmation of Mrs. Ayo Omidiran as the new Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission alongside 28 others nominated as Federal Commissioners.
Recall that the National Council of State had earlier endorsed Amupitan’s appointment during its meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s 10-year tenure in October 2025.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that Amupitan, a 58-year-old Professor of Law from Kogi State, is the first person from the North-Central region to be nominated as INEC Chairman.
“President Tinubu has fulfilled the constitutional requirement by forwarding the name of Professor Amupitan to the Senate for screening and confirmation,” the statement added.
If confirmed, Amupitan will succeed Mahmood Yakubu, who concluded his tenure after overseeing two general elections during his time as the electoral umpire.
