INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan Rejects Future Political Appointments
Joash Amupitan announced he will not accept political or diplomatic appointments after his tenure to maintain the neutrality and public trust of Nigeria's electoral commission.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, announced on Thursday that he will not accept any political or diplomatic appointments following the conclusion of his tenure. Speaking at a Chatham House panel discussion in London, Amupitan stated that his service is based on trust and a commitment to neutrality. He contrasted this position with that of his predecessor, Mahmood Yakubu, who accepted an ambassadorial appointment to Qatar from President Bola Tinubu.
Amupitan indicated he intends to pursue private sector opportunities and personal interests after leaving public service. He emphasized that his oath of allegiance requires him to ensure that elections remain free, fair, and credible.
Addressing preparations for the 2027 general elections, Amupitan acknowledged that electronic result transmission failures during the 2023 polls damaged public confidence. To address these issues, the commission is introducing safeguards at collation centres to prevent the upload of inaccurate results to the Result Viewing Portal. Additionally, the commission has reduced the number of voters assigned to each Bimodal Voter Accreditation System device from 1,250 to 850 to improve accreditation speed.
