Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, scaled the final barrier barrier when he was confirmed by the Senate.
When he spoke at the floor of the Upper Chamber and after his clearance, he made certain promises. One of them wads that would accomplish his tasks with the support of relevant agencies like the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and others.
In his words: “Our ultimate goal is to make elections so credible that even the loser will be able to congratulate the winner in good faith just as a judge delivers judgment and both sides accept it as fair and just,” he told the lawmakers while answering a question.Ads by
After Amupitan’s grilling at the Committee level, the Senate, as Vanguard reported it, went intoo plenary, where the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, asked if the confirmation was a true reflection of the House, and the ayes’ response was resounding.
Akpabio said Amupitan was approved without any dissenting voice, and asked the INEC chief to ensure that every vote counts in future polls.
With the confirmation, Amupitan succeeded Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who served as chairman of the electoral body for 10 years and quit on October 7.
Amupitan was allowed into the chamber at 12.50pm, after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele(APC, Ekiti Central), moved that Order 12 be set aside to allow strangers into the chamber and it was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro(PDP, Benue South).
Before introducing himself to the Senators for question and answer session to take off, Senate President Akpabio said that the nominee had been cleared by the office of the Department of State Services, DSS, the National Security Adviser, NSA, and Inspector-General of Police, IGP after vetting and finger-printing.
Answering series of questions from the Senators, Amupitan, the Kogi-born Professor of Law among others said: “I did not lead the legal team of the President at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. I did not appear at the Tribunal either at the Court of Appeal or at the Supreme Court.”
He also said he did not serve as part of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or Labour Party, LP, legal teams.
“I was not a member of any team,” Amupitan, who was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Jos (UniJos) in Plateau State said.
On his core election job, Amupitan said: “Mr. President, distinguished Senators, the concern raised is indeed a major one and it reflects the worry of many Nigerians. One of the first things we must do at the commission is to establish a credible internal mechanism to monitor the conduct and behaviour of officials.”
Answering another question, he vowed that he will conduct an audit of the INEC results viewing (IReV) portal to address glitches that undermined public confidence during the 2023, noting that the purpose of the bimodal voter accreditation system, BVAS, and IreV, were to ensure the integrity of elections, a goal shared by election technologies worldwide.
His words: “I believe what happened in 2023 was subsumed as a glitch. Before the election, my understanding, based on a review of Supreme Court decisions, was that there was no clarity as to the purpose of IReV.”
The IReV portal was part of the technologies introduced by the commission to improve the transparency of the electoral process.
INEC had assured Nigerians that polling unit results would be uploaded to the portal real-time during the 2023 presidential election, just as the portal remained inactive for an extended period, even after voting was concluded at some polling units, prompting suspicion from many Nigerians.
The INEC Chairman noted that the Supreme Court later clarified that IReV was not an electronic collation system, a position that was not adequately communicated by INEC before the election.
He said: “The IReV was supposed to be a safeguard for comparison because the laws made by this distinguished Senate did not do away with manual collation. However, IReV was supposed to provide some guarantee for checks and balances.
“On the issue of court decisions and technological systems, there has been confusion over certain innovations introduced by INEC, such as the electronic collation system. The Supreme Court has clarified some of these matters. When we assume office, we will assess the infrastructure on ground, review the technology, and adopt the best approach that enhances transparency and credibility in elections.
“I have to audit the system, if I’m given the opportunity, to see what is actually wrong and whether we have what it takes as it is now. Because it is not just the INEC responsibility, but also the other agencies like NCC, NIMC and the service providers that will have to work together to ensure that we give Nigerians the technology that everybody will be happy about.
“There will definitely be an audit of the system we are meeting and especially of the logistics of the election itself and ensure that the proper strategy is put in place. We all know the problem. So, we’ll find a proper strategy to be able to confront those problems headlong.”
Amupitan was further reported by Vanguard that there was the need for an electoral offence commission that will be able to investigate perpetrators of electoral offences.
He said: “I am taking this position on trust, and those who will work with me must also recognise that they are holding the trust of the Nigerian people. To maintain integrity, I intend to set up an Ethics and Compliance Committee within INEC to audit reported cases of misconduct.
“There have been numerous reports of electoral malpractice in the past, some of which were never properly addressed. In some instances such as in Bayelsa and Adamawa states, a few offenders were prosecuted and even convicted. We intend to follow through on such cases to ensure accountability.”
Amupitan, who disclosed that the commission will introduce a whistleblower policy within it to encourage people to report malpractices without fear of victimisation, said: “We plan to develop a system that can detect, investigate, and prosecute misconduct, supported by forensic methods when necessary and strengthen INEC’s internal disciplinary process to ensure that all those involved in wrongdoing are brought to justice.”
On logistics and security of electoral materials, Amupitan said: “ I recognise that these are major challenges due to the size and diversity of our country. We will work closely with the Joint Committee on Election Security to enhance protection of materials, personnel, and voters especially in high-risk areas.
“We will also invest more in logistics and technology to ensure that every part of Nigeria is adequately reached. If necessary, we can deploy innovations such as drones and other secure means to guarantee that election materials reach their destinations. No voter will be left behind. That will be our guiding principle.
“Regarding timelines and inconsistencies in the Electoral Act, I acknowledge that some provisions contradict each other. We will work to harmonise these timelines to remove ambiguity. A clear and consistent electoral timetable will help to build public confidence and reduce post-election disputes.
“On financial prudence, I assure this chamber that the laws already enacted by the National Assembly, particularly the Public Procurement Act and the Finance Act will be strictly adhered to.
INEC funds will be used only for the purposes for which they are appropriated, and we will seek ways to cut costs where possible without compromising efficiency.
“In summary, our approach will be guided by integrity, accountability, security, efficiency, and education to ensure that elections in Nigeria truly reflect the will of the people.”
Leave a Reply