‘Breach of procedure’ – Analyst blasts hasty confirmation of Amupitan as INEC chair

Legislative consultant and public policy analyst, Chibuzo Okereke, has taken a swipe at the Senate’s confirmation process for the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Joash Amupitan, describing it as procedurally flawed and rushed.

Okereke stated this on Thursday, while responding to questions in an interview on ‘Prime Time’, a programme on Arise Television, monitored by DAILY POST.

According to him, the confirmation process, which lasted just about two hours, failed to comply with several provisions of the Senate Standing Orders.

“Ordinarily, under Order 117A, when the President nominates a candidate for a known position such as INEC Chairman, the nominee should be referred to the appropriate committee — in this case, the Committee on Electoral Matters.

“However, the presiding officer simply read the letter and referred it to the Committee of the Whole by himself, without a motion or debate. He doesn’t have that discretion under the Order,” he said.

He noted that important procedural requirements including verification of the nominee’s asset declaration and authentication of academic qualifications were not addressed.