The coalition of opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives has tasked the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to embark on reforms that will ensure the credibility of elections in the country.
The coalition, in a statement by its spokesman, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, expressed support for Amupitan’s appointment, saying they have no doubt about his capacity to deliver.
The National Council of State had approved Amupitan’s nomination as INEC chairman by President Bola Tinubu at its meeting on Thursday at the presidential villa. The new INEC chairman’s appointment is subject to the confirmation of the Senate.
Ugochinyere, who noted that Amupitan’s appointment is an opportunity to write his name in gold, urged him not to fail Nigerians and to prioritise their interests over political interests. He charged him to leverage his legal professional experience and administrative background to embark on deeper electoral reforms once cleared and sworn in.
“For us as opposition coalition lawmakers, we welcome the appointment made by the President, appointing Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman because looking at his background in terms of academic excellence he comes highly recommended. He can’t fail, he has been a lecturer, even a Pro Chancellor and lawyer, SAN.
“We have an INEC chairman that knows the difficulty in proving election petition, knows the loopholes etc. He has taught it in classroom and practised it in the field and now he’s going to execute it. He has no reason to fail. He has all the professional qualification required to administer a successful INEC.
“We don’t have any history of his bad deed, if we do, we would have been among those who will say no to this appointment. We need to judge the man by his past standards, and those past standards are in his professional record,” the lawmaker stated.
Ugochinyere added, “Let us allow him to transition into the position then we start watching his efforts, decisions as the day goes by. The election coming up in Anambra will be a test case to his capacity to handle INEC. Osun too.
“We believe he has reason to succeed and we also believe he has no reason to fail because he has the professional capacity. Those things he has experienced in the field, now he has the capacity to adjust those loopholes that’s unending. So we welcome his appointment and support him as long as he continues to administer INEC in compliance with the provisions of the law.”
The sun
